Drought hits Brazil instant-coffee exporters

Sao Paulo

BRAZIL's drought has got so bad that the country's instant-coffee makers, the world's top suppliers, are no longer entering into new export contracts amid a shortage of the robusta beans needed to make the quick brew.

Producers have stopped entering into sales commitments since September because of depleted stockpiles of the beans, according to ABICS, a group representing the nation's soluble coffee industry. Brazil is the world's No 1 maker and exporter of instant coffee.