BOGOTA: Colombia's coffee exports soared 53 percent to 884,000 60-kg bags in March while output rose 24 percent to 779,000 sacks versus the same month last year, the nation's coffee federation said on Wednesday.
Colombia, the world's top producer of high-quality washed Arabica, is expected to see coffee output this year reach around 9-10 million bags, the highest level since 2008, as better weather helps flowering, the federation says.
"The positive results in the growth of the crop so far and the strong commitment to eradicate once and for all roya (fungus) in the country shows that we're achieving our goals," Luis Genaro Munoz, the federation's head, said in a statement.
In February, Colombia's coffee exports rose 12 percent to 659,000 60-kg bags versus a year earlier, while output grew 18 percent to 764,000 sacks.
Tight supplies in Colombia, the world's top producer of high-quality washed Arabica beans along with another top producer Brazil, were the main impetus for a spike in Arabica prices last year that has continued into 2011.
Bad weather, a tree renovation program and pests in the previous two years cut output in Colombia by about a third its norm.
This year's crop is forecast to rebound although still below historical averages of 11 million sacks.
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