USDA: Coffee shortages not imminent, despite drought in Brazil

Fear not, coffee-lovers. You won't be facing a shortage anytime soon, despite devastating drought in Brazil, the world's dominant coffee producer., the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. USDA's Foreign Agriculture Service says in its December forecast that a huge 3.7-million bag decline in Brazillian production will be more than offset by bumper coffee crops in Indonesia, Honduras and Vietnam, which also are major coffee producers and exporters. Coffee stocks in the U.S., the world's second largest-coffee importer (behind the European Union) are projected to remain unchanged from a year ago, USDA says. Even so, world coffee consumption is growing, which inceases the importance of good crops in Brazil, USDA says. To see the USDA report:  http://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/circulars/coffee.pdf