LONDON - Coffee could become a luxurious thing of the past in the UK as farmers abandon their crops because of climate change.
Temperature extremes, increased humidity and crippling market prices mean more and more coffee producers in Peru are ditching the trade, experts say.

Scientists even predict 50 per cent of land currently used for growing coffee beans will become unsuitable by 2050. Already, rising temperatures are causing farmers to seek ever-higher and cooler grounds in order to grow their crops.

With lands becoming unusable, there is likely to be an increase in deforestation as businesses attempt to clear new areas for farms. Experts also say the quality of coffee will also drop, with farmers turning to new varieties when their crops fail to grow. Lower production volumes could also see prices increase in countries like the UK.

The poorest farmers are already being hit the hardest by climate change, as they cannot afford to invest their profits in tools to improve the soil. Catherine David, head of commercial partnerships at Fairtrade, urged businesses to invest in coffee farming to prevent it from becoming ‘a luxury’.

She continued: ‘If 50 per cent of land currently used for coffee isn’t going to be suitable for it by 2050, and coffee farmers are abandoning their farms, there simply won’t be enough coffee. ‘[Therefore] we could conceivably get to a point where coffee is no longer available for, say, £1.50 at Greggs, but becomes a premium product for only those who can afford to enjoy it. ‘It really is a crisis we are facing and I think it’s one that, if the UK public were more aware of, they’d be pretty scandalised that brands, retailers and coffee shops that they are buying their coffee from aren’t doing more.’ (FA)