Brazilian coffee exporters shipped 2.8 million 60-kilogram (132-pound) bags of green coffee to foreign markets in November, 22% less than in the same month a year earlier, exporters association Cecafé said on Tuesday.

Exports of arabica coffee fell 22% as well, to 2.59 million bags, while shipments of robusta coffee fell 13% to 204,694 bags, Cecafé said. Brazil harvested a smaller crop in 2019, and supplies of high-quality, export-type coffees were even smaller.

Green coffee exports also fell when compared to October, when the world's largest producer exported 3.32 million bags. Cecafé said that falling exports are a result of the smaller coffee crop Brazil harvested in 2019. This year's harvest reached 49 million bags, versus a record of 61.6 million bags in 2018, according to the Brazilian government.

Brazil alternates years of higher and lower crops, due to the production cycle of arabica coffee trees. Plants get stressed after a big crop, so they tend to produce less in the following year.