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Drinking A Cup Of Coffee

Decent Essays

After reading this paper, drinking a cup of coffee will never be the same. Coffee has become a major part of many people’s lives. It is a global commodity. Behind the oil industry, coffee places second on the world’s most traded commodities. Every day more than 2 billion cups of coffee are consumed (“The Economics of Coffee”). The World coffee market is controlled by Kraft General Foods (produces Maxwell House), Proctor & Gamble (produces Folgers), Sara Lee (Chock Full O’Nuts) , and Nestle (“The Economics of Coffee”). These major producers and the World Trade Organization (WTO) control coffee prices. Coffee plays a crucial role in many countries economies. Some of these countries include Burundi, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Ethiopia is the …show more content…

Since the farmers are dependent on the sale of the coffee they grow, they will settle for a low price because they would rather sell it and lose a little money than not sell it at all. In Ethiopia, the growers are losing money. Buyers are purchasing one pound of coffee for 60 cents and it costs the farmers 90 cents to grow (“Black Gold Movie”). The farmers will settle for this because they are making a little money rather than none. The farmers are making 22 cents a day. To live comfortably, they need to make $1.10 a day. With $1.10 a day, the farmers will have enough food, clean drinking water, clothing, and have schools for their children (“Black Gold Movie”). Since many of the farmers are suffering to survive, therapeutic feeding centers have been placed in these countries. These feeding centers take in the really malnourished children. There is an admission criteria for the feeding centers. They will weigh the children to determine who needs the most help. Over 7 million are dependent on emergency aid food every year in Ethiopia (“Black Gold Movie”). Since the coffee growers are not making any money off of the coffee, the towns lack funds to provide the community with a decent education. The schools cannot afford blackboards nor pay the teachers enough to teach the students. Many farmers are starting to grow a narcotic called chat. Many farmers do not want to grow the drug but they are able to make more money and provide for their family. After noticing

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