BOGOTA -- Colombian coffee production soared in August as favorable weather
             conditions produced better-than-expected output.

             Colombia, the world's second biggest coffee producer after Brazil, produced
             824,000 60-kilogram bags in August, up 20 percent from the 686,000 bags
             produced a year ago, the National Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers said.

             With just one month of the coffee harvest year remaining, Colombia has produced
             11.2 million bags, up 13 percent from output of 10.01 million bags in the year-ago
             period.

             With September expected to yield output of 950,000 bags, Colombia could post
             total output of 12.2 million bags for the 1997-1998 coffee year, its biggest harvest
             since 13.7 million bags in 1995, said Carlos Fernando Pinilla, a coffee analyst with
             the National Association of Coffee Exporters.

             ```The climate's been key,'' he said. ```Since April, it's rained when it had to and
             the sun came out just on cue.'' Pinilla said August's production was likely the
             highest for 10 years, although he didn't provide figures.

             The federation now is predicting 1998-1999 production of 12.5 million bags.
             Colombia's harvest year lasts from October to September.

             A higher-than-expected harvest from Colombia is more bearish news for a world
             market expecting to see Brazil ship a harvest of about 35 million bags, its highest in
             11 years.