Bloomberg has reported that the Port of Buenaventura, Colombia's primary Pacific Ocean port, has partially resumed coffee exports following a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck on Monday, 10 August.

Gustavo Goméz, Executive President of Colombia's Coffee Exporters Association (Asoexport), stated that heavy cargo vehicles recommenced movements through the port on Wednesday, 12 August, though traffic remains infrequent and constrained.

Exporters also began dispatching shipments on Wednesday and reported no significant damage to coffee processing and milling facilities. To ease the operational strain on Buenaventura, exporters are being encouraged to reroute shipments to alternative ports in the region, including Cartagena, Santa Marta, and Puerto Antioquia — all located on Colombia's Caribbean coast, requiring longer overland routes from the inland coffee-growing regions.

At the time of writing, reports indicate the earthquake has killed at least 273 people, making it the most severe earthquake to hit the region in decades. The epicentre was located in Chocó province, with tremors felt as far as Panama and El Salvador.

Colombia is the world's third-largest coffee-producing nation after Brazil and Vietnam and the leading global exporter of washed arabica beans, making prolonged disruptions at its primary Pacific port a notable factor for international coffee trade flows. Buenaventura serves as a critical trade gateway on the country's Pacific coast. In addition to coffee, the port handles a substantial portion of Colombia's sugar, cotton, sawn wood, gold, and platinum exports.

Source: Global Coffee Report