BOGOTA, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Colombia's coal output fell 8.1 percent to 21.5 million tonnes in the third quarter from a year earlier, the national mining agency said on Monday.
The Andean nation, the world's fifth-largest coal exporter, produced 23.4 million tonnes in the third quarter of 2016, the ministry said in a statement.
So far this year, the sector has produced 65.1 million tonnes of coal, 4.4 percent lower than for the same period a year ago.
The biggest players in Colombia's coal industry are Drummond Co DRMND.UL , Glencore Plc GLEN.L , Murray Energy Corp's MUYEY.UL Colombia Natural Resources, and Cerrejon, which is jointly owned by BHP Billiton BLT.L , Anglo American PLC AAL.L and Glencore.