Colombia on Track to Produce at Least 12.5 Million Bags of Coffee in 2015

CoffeeNetwork (New York) – According to the latest data from the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC),   the 2014 calendar year coffee crop totaled 12.1 million bags, 12% higher than the 2013 harvest.

 “Our official estimate for calendar year 2015 is between 12.5 and 13 million bags,” says Luis Fernando Samper, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer for the FNC in a telephone interview. “We conduct two surveys per year. The first one reflects our findings of the first semester, the second survey factors in our findings of the second semester, but right now we are looking at a potential of up to 13 million bags for the year.”

 Favorable weather conditions and the success of the coffee tree renovation program have both attributed to the recovery of the Brazilian coffee crop. “So far the weather has been good. Some areas had extended dry periods, but nothing of major concern. The rainy season is set to begin now so we are waiting for the rains,” says Samper. “As far as the renovation program goes, it is an ongoing process. Currently, the average age for a tree is 7.4 years old. A few years ago, the average age was over 10 years old.”

 The decrease in average tree age has not just benefited yields, but also quality and consistency of the beans. In a recent report, the FNC’s Commercial Office analyzed the purchases of Colombian coffee over the past two years. The report noted that the proportion of coffee beans per load of parchment coffee increased by 81% and that the residues resulting from the threshing process decreased from 20% to 19%.