Could the world “run out of coffee”? Colombia earthquake paralyzes supply chains

The powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Colombia has claimed dozens of lives, caused extensive damage, and left hundreds of people missing.

Meanwhile, an unexpected consequence of the disaster is expected to be felt around the world: the powerful tremors have also severely disrupted coffee exports in the country renowned for its coffee production.

The earthquake, whose epicenter was in San José del Palmar, in the Chocó region, struck the heart of the area known as the “Eje Cafetero,” or Coffee Axis. In addition to the tragic loss of life and damage to civilian infrastructure, it has disrupted key commercial routes, bringing supply chains to a standstill.

The main bottleneck is caused particularly by the inability to reach Buenaventura, the strategic seaport through which almost all of Colombia’s “green gold” destined for export passes. “At present, the road to Buenaventura is not accessible to foreign commercial vehicles, including those used for exports and imports,” explained Gustavo Gómez, president of the National Association of Coffee Exporters.

The emergency is further aggravated by the fact that the earthquake has particularly affected the region where most of the coffee processing plants are located.

Even in less affected areas, the lack of access for freight vehicles is making it difficult to transport coffee to other major ports, including Puerto Antioquia, Cartagena, and Santa Marta. Colombia is the world’s third-largest coffee exporter and the leading global supplier of high-quality Arabica beans.

“KORÇA BOOM”