Colombia’s coffee harvest closed 15% down: 12.65 million bags

The 2025/2026 coffee year, from October 1 to September 30, closed at 12.65 million 60-kg bags. In the previous cycle it was 14.87 million. That is 2.22 million bags less, a 15% drop, according to the report presented by Germán Bahamón, manager of the National Federation of Coffee Growers.

The reduction is also seen in the calendar year. From January to September 2026, production reached 8.95 million bags, 10% below the 9.97 million of the same period in 2025.

September broke that streak in the month. 1.215 million bags were produced, 6% more than the 1.142 million in September 2025. The upturn did not compensate for what was lost over the twelve months.

Exports followed the harvest. In the coffee year, 11.78 million bags were shipped, 12% less than in the previous cycle. In September, shipments rose 9% and reached 1.172 million bags.

The Federation, as administrator of the National Coffee Fund, exported 2.54 million bags. Its share of external sales went from 19.8% to 21.5%. Imports over the last twelve months were 1.61 million bags. Domestic consumption stood at 2.32 million bags per year.

Bahamón left the cycle that begins tied to three things: the climate, the productivity of the coffee plantations, and the profitability of producing families. On that, he said, depends whether Colombia can supply a market that wants to secure its coffee.

For someone who runs a farm, the 15% headline is not enough. If one’s own harvest also fell, the year that begins is looked at in cost per kilo, not just in the price per load. Less volume with the same labor and the same inputs leaves a narrower margin.

Sources. National Federation of Coffee Growers, report by Germán Bahamón of October 9, 2026, collected by Portafolio and Valora Analitik. This text is an original summary, not a reproduction.