Colombia's hydrocarbon production data for April showed a split between annual and monthly trends, the National Hydrocarbons Agency reported Monday. On a year-over-year basis, crude output rose 1.5% to an average of 724,910 barrels per day in April. Despite that annual gain, the April figure represented the lowest daily oil production recorded in the past year.
Measured month-to-month, oil production eased from March's 740,497 barrels per day to the April average, a decrease of 2.1%. The decline in output relative to the prior month contrasts with the modest annual increase, underscoring the divergent directions evident in consecutive comparisons.
Natural gas results were weaker. The country's commercialized gas production fell 14.2% year-over-year in April to 694 million cubic feet per day. Gas volumes also slipped from the 700 million cubic feet per day reported in March.
The National Hydrocarbons Agency published the monthly figures in a statement Monday and noted that it tracks oil and gas output across Colombia's hydrocarbon sector. The statement did not provide an explanation for the movements in either oil or gas production.
April's data continue a pattern of fluctuation across the past year for Colombia's oil output. The month's contrasting annual rise and monthly decline leave an ambiguous short-term picture, with the agency's release confined to the raw production numbers and without commentary on underlying drivers.
Data snapshot
- Oil production (April): 724,910 barrels per day - up 1.5% year-over-year; lowest daily rate in the past year.
- Oil production (March): 740,497 barrels per day - April down 2.1% from this level.
- Commercialized gas production (April): 694 million cubic feet per day - down 14.2% year-over-year; down from March's 700 million cubic feet per day.
- Source of data: National Hydrocarbons Agency statement released Monday; agency tracks monthly oil and gas output.
The agency's concise release left open questions about the drivers behind the shifts in both oil and gas output. Because the statement did not elaborate, the available public record for April remains limited to the headline production statistics.