Report compiled for the 2003 Paris International Agricultural Fair.
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All you need to know about coffee
The Issues for coffee and coffee growing
Since 2002, coffee growers worldwide have been hit by a new crisis. On the London and New York markets, coffee is now trading at prices that are too low for growers to be able to cover their costs.
The coffee crisis which has been worsening for the past three years, poses a threat to the 125 million people and 60 countries that depend on coffee growing. The consequences are often dramatic:
- for producers: excessive debt, inability to satisfy their basic requirements (food, health, children’s schooling), rural exodus and international migration.
- for communities: a threat to the balance of coffee-based societies and natural environments.
In response to these threats, international organizations, governments and NGOs are working to tackle the root cause of the problem: surplus production, as a result of increased supplies and stable consumption.
At the same time, the recipes used previously to regulate volumes on a national or international scale are no longer valid. New proposals are emerging, often based on a drive to give coffee consumption some added significance.
The figures quoted in this section are based on analyses by FAO, ICO, UNICAF and SCAA.
[ For further information ]
- Cafés: terroirs et qualités , by C. Montagnon, scientific editor. CIRAD, 2003.