BOGOTÁ, Colombia – Registered coffee production in Colombia, the world’s largest producer of washed Arabicas, reached 947,000 bags in July, virtually flat on year, reports the National Federation of Coffee Growers. Year-to-date production was 6% down to 5,968,000 bags from 6,371,000 last year. During the first 10 months of the current coffee year, production fell to 8,897,000 bags (-10%), from 9,899,000 in the equivalent period of 2021/22.
Over the last 12 months, the Colombian coffee crop was of 10,680,000 bags, or an 11% decrease from the 1 previous months.
Meanwhile, according to preliminary exports data, Colombia shipped 846,000 bags of coffee in July, down 17% from the same month last year.
Coffee exports during the first 10 months of coffee year 2022/23 (October – July) totalled 8,668,000 bags, a 15% decrease from 10,117,000 last year. Exports in the last 12 months were 16% down to 12,398,000 bags.
At the end of July, coffee imports are estimated to have decreased 50% compared to the previous year, from 171,000 bags imported in July 2022 to 86,000 in 2023, down 85,000 bags.
Brazil’s Cooxupe, the world’s largest coffee co-operative and the country’s biggest coffee exporter, said on Wednesday the 2023 harvest in the areas where it operates had reached 74.9% of the fields by August 4.
This compares to 71.7% at this time last year. It is the quickest pace since 2020, when farmers had collected 77.9% of the coffee by this time of the year.
Increased coffee exports from Brazil pressured Arabica prices on Thursday.
ICE Arabica’s main contract for September delivery closed 55 points down yesterday at 159.90 cents per lb. In London, the benchmark price for September delivery lost $13 to end the day at $ 2,666.
