Low prices 'are hitting coffee consumers'

Weakness in coffee prices is weighing on the production of higher-grade beans such as those of Central America, threatening to reduce the variety on offer to consumers.

The price of arabica, the higher quality bean, has largely traded under $1.50 a pound over the past four to five years, below the cost that some growers face in producing, processing and transporting the beans. This has meant that many smallholder coffee growers have cut down on fertiliser, leading to lower-quality beans, the Financial Times reports.