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According to Bloomberg, the earthquake disrupted operations at Colombia’s main export port, Buenaventura, and blocked the roads used to transport coffee to the coast. Gustavo Gomez, head of the National Association of Coffee Exporters (Asoexport), told the agency about this.
“Coffee operations are currently suspended,” Gomez said, noting that only isolated, one-off shipments are possible. According to him, it is not yet known when the key roads will be fully reopened.
Buenaventura is Colombia’s main export hub for coffee, especially for products from the country’s southern regions. Other ports have not reported any major disruptions, but it is not possible to quickly reroute cargo flows to the north due to a shortage of trucks.
The situation is complicated by the fact that the harvest is currently concentrated in Colombia’s southern regions. A significant portion of this coffee is typically exported through Buenaventura, so the disruptions are affecting shipments of the new harvest.
Even after road access is restored, exporters expect delays in shipments. According to Gomez, it will take time to transport the accumulated coffee stocks out of the producing regions and restore normal operations in the supply chain.
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia on August 10. The tremors were felt in several regions of the country, including Cali, Pereira, and Manizales.
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