BOGOTA – Colombia, the world’s largest producer of mild washed Arabica coffee, produced a total of 12.3 million 60 kilo bags during the past twelve months (April 2014-March 2015).
This meant an 8% increase compared to the 11.5 million bags produced during the same period of the previous year.
The steady increase in production and productivity that has been recorded in recent years is the result of the efforts of the Colombian coffee growers and the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), to raise the productive capacity of farms through crop renovation. Between 2009 and 2014, a total of 3.25 billion trees were renovated in Colombia.
Colombia’s coffee production growth rate was ratified by the 2.9 million 60 kilo bags produced between January and March 2015. Year to date production recorded an 8% increase compared to the production between January and March 2014.
Production in March reached 800,000 60 kilo bags. This was slightly lower than production in March 2014 (828,000 bags) as a consequence of the trucker strike that took place during that month.
Colombian Coffee Exports
Colombian coffee exports also increased significantly. During the past twelve months, exports recorded a 5% increase by reaching 10,958 million bags. Similarly, between January and March 2015, exports remained at a stable 2.9 million 60 kilo bags compared to the first quarter of 2014.
The trucker carrier strike prevented the normal transport of cargo to ports. This led to a 17% decrease in coffee exports compared to the 928,000 60 kilo bags exported in March 2014.
