Colombian coffee output fell to 738,000 60-kilogram bags in April, compared with 1.078 million bags in April 2003, Colombia's National Federation of Coffee Growers said on Thursday.
Coffee exports by Colombia, the world's second-largest producer of the bean, rose to 843,000 bags from 833,000 in April 2003, the federation said.
The country's coffee stocks, which include those of the federation as well as private exporters, declined to 1.489 million bags at the end of April, from 1.687 million at the end of March.
According to the federation, Colombia has produced 11.624 million bags in the year to April, compared with 11.696 million in the year to April 2003.
Exports were 10.643 million bags in the year to April, against 10.340 million in the year to April 2003, it said.
The federation expects coffee production to total 10.5 million bags in all of 2004, and exports to be 9.2 million bags. Last year, output totalled 11.5 million bags and exports 10.2 million bags.
Overall production is forecast to be lower this year due to heavier rain in late 2003, coffee bush output cycles, and work to renovate some bushes, the federation said.