Colombia Coffee Output Rebounds in May but Is Down 19% for the Year
COLOMBIA · AGRIBUSINESS
Key Facts
—The rebound: Colombia produced about 1.06 million bags of coffee in May, up 29% on the same month last year.
—The catch: For the year to May, output is still down 19%, at roughly 4.27 million bags against 5.30 million.
—The exports: Shipments for the year are down 22%, at about 4.15 million bags.
—The cause cited: The growers’ federation blames rain-delayed fruit ripening that slowed the first-half harvest.
—The twelve-month view: Rolling output over the past year was about 12.6 million bags, down 14%.
—The stakes: Coffee is a flagship export and a livelihood for hundreds of thousands of Colombian farming families.
Colombia coffee production jumped 29% in May, a welcome rebound for the world’s top grower of mild arabica, yet the harvest remains down 19% for the year so far, leaving the sector with a recovery that has only just begun.
A two-speed Colombia coffee production story
The headline looks encouraging, as growers harvested around one and a fraction million 60-kilo bags in May, up close to a third from the 819,000 bags collected in the same month last year.
The National Federation of Coffee Growers, which speaks for the industry, said the jump confirmed that the harvest had begun to gain momentum after a slow start.
Yet the monthly bounce sits on top of a much weaker year, with production for the five months to May down about a fifth, at roughly four and a quarter million bags against more than five million in 2025.
In other words, May was a good month inside a poor year, and reading the bounce as a turnaround would overstate what the figures actually show.
Why the harvest fell behind
The federation’s explanation centres on the weather. Heavy rains across Colombia‘s coffee zones slowed the ripening of the fruit, pushing part of the first-half harvest later than usual.
That timing shift is why May looks so strong against last year, since some of the crop that would normally have been picked earlier arrived in the month instead.
It also means the May surge is partly a catch-up rather than pure extra growth, a nuance that matters when judging the health of the wider crop.
The federation said it would keep monitoring how the rest of the harvest develops, along with the weather conditions that could still shape the outcome.
Exports feel the squeeze
Less coffee grown means less coffee to sell abroad, and exports for the year to May came in around four and a sixth million bags, a drop of about a fifth from the same stretch of 2025.
May’s own shipments were broadly flat against a year earlier, easing slightly to about 894,000 bags from 912,000, so the damage is concentrated in the year-to-date total.
For a country where coffee is a signature export and a major source of rural income, a double-digit fall in shipments is felt well beyond the farm gate.
The federation noted it still accounts for more than a fifth of the country’s total coffee exports, underlining its central role in getting the crop to market.
The wider pressure on growers
Weather is not the only headwind. Federation officials have pointed to the strength of the Colombian peso, which trims what farmers earn when their dollar-priced coffee is converted home.
Swings in the international coffee price add another layer of uncertainty, since global benchmarks set the terms on which Colombian beans are sold.
Together, a smaller crop, a firmer currency and shifting world prices make for a difficult year, even with the May rebound offering a measure of relief.
Over the past twelve months, total output came in around 12.6 million bags, down roughly 14%, a reminder that the weakness runs deeper than a single season.
What to watch next
The key question is whether May’s pace can hold. A few more strong months would narrow the yearly gap and steady both growers’ incomes and export volumes.
For global buyers, Colombia’s output helps set the tone for high-quality arabica, so a recovering harvest matters to roasters and coffee prices far from the country.
For Colombia itself, the crop is woven into the rural economy, which is why a weak year ripples through jobs and incomes in the coffee-growing regions.
The May figures offer a hopeful signal, but the federation’s own framing is cautious: the rebound is real, and so is the hole it still has to fill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Colombia coffee production rise or fall?
Both, depending on the window, since May output jumped about 29% year-on-year to roughly one and a fraction million bags, while production for the year to May is still down around a fifth.
Why did the harvest fall this year?
The growers’ federation blames heavy rains that delayed fruit ripening and slowed the first-half harvest, pushing part of the crop into later months such as May.
What happened to exports?
Exports for the year to May fell about a fifth, to roughly four and a sixth million bags, reflecting the smaller crop. May’s own shipments were close to flat against a year earlier.
Why does this matter beyond Colombia?
Colombia is a leading grower of high-quality arabica, so its harvest helps shape global coffee supply and prices, affecting roasters and consumers well beyond its borders.