Colombian Coffee Production Falls 14% in November Amid Rain

Colombia, the second largest supplier of Arabica coffee beans, said its crop fell 14 percent in November because of rainstorms that will also hamper output early next year.

Output fell to 845,000 bags from 979,000 bags in November 2010 because of the weather pattern La Niña, according to an e-mail today from Colombia’s National Federation of Coffee Growers in Bogotá. 

Exports slid to 770,000 bags from 827,000 bags.

La Niña “brings excessive humidity, affects production and limits flowering,” federation Chief Executive Officer Luis Munoz said in the statement.

Coffee has climbed 49 percent in two years as adverse weather in Colombia cut supplies of Arabica beans favored by brewers such as Starbucks Corp. 

The federation reduced harvest forecasts twice last month amid flooding and mudslides caused by above average rainfall.

Farmers will have a “very hard” time in 2.012 increasing the crop from this year’s forecast of 8 million bags, if adverse weather persists, Muñoz said last month.

Colombia will produce about 7.8 million bags of coffee this year, less than the federation expects, because of wet, cold weather, Jose Sierra.

A member of a committee representing farmers in the largest coffee-growing province of Antioquia, said this month.

Brazil is the largest producer of Arabica beans. 

Each bag of coffee weighs 60 kilograms (132 pounds).