Colombia, the world's fifth-largest exporter of coal, produced 19.6 million tonnes in the first quarter, down 11.7 percent from output the year before, the Energy and Mining Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
In the same period last year, Colombia produced 22.2 million tonnes. In full-year 2017, the Latin American nation produced 89.4 million tonnes, slightly below 2016 when output was 90.5 million tonnes.
The biggest players in Colombia's coal industry are Drummond Co,
Glencore Plc (GLNCY), Murray Energy Corp's
Colombia Natural Resources, and Cerrejon, which is owned by
BHP Billiton (BHPLF), Anglo American PLC and Glencore. (Reporting by Helen Murphy Editing by Susan Thomas)