El Nino threatens Colombian coffee output despite earthquake sparing harvest

In an interview, German Bahamon, head of Colombia's National Coffee Growers Federation, confirmed that the 7.4-magnitude earthquake on August 10 caused no direct loss to coffee production, despite killing 319 people and damaging infrastructure in coffee-rich provinces. However, the sector anticipates an 8% reduction in the 2026 harvest, projecting 12.5 million 60-kg bags versus 13.7 million the previous year, as El Nino-related heat and irregular rains take hold.

Early-year heavy rains and the emerging El Nino pattern are cited as the primary threats. The federation plans to spearhead a reconstruction effort for roughly 10,500 coffee-growing families, including a program to purchase harvested cherries, and notes that shipments from Buenaventura, which handles 60% of exports, have returned to normal after temporary closures. Bahamon also warned that the Colombian peso’s strongest level since 2018 is cutting farmer margins, estimating a loss of 700,000 pesos per 125 kg load. The industry supports about 540,000 families across 840,000 ha and remains the world’s third-largest coffee producer.