In 2011 Colombia replaced 10% of coffee acreage with fungus resistant seedlings in a bid a rid itself of the roya plant pest, reported the Wall Street Journal Wednesday.
Over the past year, Colombian coffee growers replanted up to 300,000 acres. Colombia is the second-biggest producer of Arabica beans, the most commonly-brewed bean.
New plants can take up to three years to bear fruit which may lead to a restriction in supplies, a rise in demand and an increase in prices.
The problem of the roya pest is coupled with that of the winter rains which affected the flowering of coffee plants in the first half of the year.
The price of coffee fell by 7.4% during the year.
The Colombian Federation of Coffee Growers has not given a concrete forecast of production for next year.
