Production and exports decrease! Colombia FNC accuses government of inaction

Recently, the Colombian coffee growers union FNC released the March coffee export report, although the report data is good, but the future is still in trouble.

According to a report released by FNC, in March 2024, Colombia produced 866000 bags of 60 kilograms of coffee, an increase of 8.4 percent over the same period last year, but a decrease of 9 percent compared with 961000 bags in February, all due to a reduction in production caused by the recent drought in Colombia.

In addition, Colombia's exports in March were 1 million bags and 60 kilograms, an increase of 10.9 percent over the same period last year, but 3.8 percent lower than in February. In addition, coffee exports in March totaled US $281 million, an increase of 4.5 per cent over March 2023. The increase in income is mainly driven by the rise in global coffee prices.

Overall, although coffee production and exports have increased compared with the same period last year, mainly in 2023, Colombia was affected by El Ni ñ o, resulting in a decline in coffee production.

In the early months of this year, production picked up somewhat, but abnormal climate change once again affected Colombia, leading to a decline in Colombian production. Earlier, Colombia suffered a drought, and the average water level of many reservoirs across the country was less than 30% of the normal value, resulting in water restrictions in many parts of Colombia.

However, recently, according to the Colombian Ministry of Environment and the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environment (IDEAM), moderate to heavy rain, local torrential rain or torrential rain will occur in Colombia in May. Although it can alleviate the drought problem, it can cause floods, mountain torrents and debris flows in small and medium-sized rivers due to local heavy precipitation, accumulated precipitation and the superposition of heavy precipitation.

In addition, government problems have also greatly affected the country's coffee industry. At an earlier conference of large coffee producers in Colombia, President Gustavo Petro (Gustavo Petro) said that the State must take over the National Union of Coffee growers (FNC) in order to protect and properly use public resources, and that state intervention would industrialize the coffee industry and export better products.

However, no action has been taken by the government, so the Coffee growers' Committee of the 15 national coffee provinces issued a notice saying that coffee cultivation in Colombia is going through a difficult period and needs to be faced with unity.

Now is not the time to encourage division or equal division of institutions, so call on the national government not to encourage the division of coffee growers, but to provide the necessary assistance to the unions of the National Federation of Coffee growers (FNC) over the next 100 years.