Time For a Coffee Cartel?
As long as developed countries actively impede their developing-country counterparts’ ability to make money from the coffee they produce, exporters in the Global South have little choice but to take matters into their own hands. Tariffs and subsidies, hostile takeovers, and the formation of a coffee cartel should all be on the table.
SEOUL – Coffee prices have soared in recent years, owing to unfavorable weather conditions and supply shortages in major producing countries like Brazil, India, and Vietnam. But even if consumers are paying more for their daily cup, coffee farmers are seeing little of the gain, because they lack sufficient bargaining power.