The low prices have led to coffee growers abandoning their farms in Guatemala while Colombian farmers turned to coca, which is processed into cocaine.
https://www.ft.com/content/21907ea6-5f98-11e9-a27a-fdd51850994c
The lowest international coffee prices in a decade are leading many despairing farmers in Central and South America to abandon their farms, fueling fears of an industry crisis. “The volatility is destroying livelihoods,” said John Steel, chief executive of Cafédirect, one of the UK’s first coffee roasters to offer producers Fair Trade pricing which counts Peruvian coffee co-operatives as among its main suppliers. Mr Steel added that farmers were joining migration caravans while elsewhere younger generations were opting out of coffee production in many countries. “If you’re a parent and making a living from coffee, seeing the way [low prices] are impacting the market, it’s not what you want for [your children],” he said.
https://www.ft.com/content/21907ea6-5f98-11e9-a27a-fdd51850994c
The lowest international coffee prices in a decade are leading many despairing farmers in Central and South America to abandon their farms, fueling fears of an industry crisis. “The volatility is destroying livelihoods,” said John Steel, chief executive of Cafédirect, one of the UK’s first coffee roasters to offer producers Fair Trade pricing which counts Peruvian coffee co-operatives as among its main suppliers. Mr Steel added that farmers were joining migration caravans while elsewhere younger generations were opting out of coffee production in many countries. “If you’re a parent and making a living from coffee, seeing the way [low prices] are impacting the market, it’s not what you want for [your children],” he said.
.jpg)
.jpg)
