Coffee production in Colombia, the world’s number two producer of the
beans, plunged 33 percent in the first four months of 2009, with
exports sinking by 21 percent, officials said.
The National Coffeegrowers Federation, or Federacafe, said
January-April production reached just 2.88 million 60-kilogram
(132-pound) bags, compared with 4.25 million bags in the same period in
2008.
“The winter, low fertilization and the renovation of coffee
plantations had a strong impact on production in the first months of
the year,” said Federacafe, which represents the Andean nation’s half
million coffeegrowers.
Colombia comes second only to Brazil in
coffee production. Much of the country’s northwest is cloaked in the
crop, which produces a subtle brew sought after by many buyers.
But
the federation stressed the outlook for 2009 remained encouraging and
that despite the first months of the year they would “maintain a
production projection of between 10.5 and 11.5 million bags for the
year.”
International sales slipped to 3.178 million bags, down 21 percent from the 4.041 million exported from January to April 2008.
Total
Colombian production last year dipped nine percent to 11.5 million bags
from 12.6 million bags in 2007, but total harvest revenues swelled to a
record 1.953 billion dollars, according to official numbers. (AFP)