11. An early summer drought and heavy rains in August created a poor harvest leading to the food shortage, said Powers. 12. Blame poor harvests in Latin America and lean world inventories of the mild arabica beans preferred in the U.S. 13. A lack of rain has produced a particularly poor harvest this year. 14. Cold weather last year contributed to a very poor harvest. 15. Coffee prices more than doubled this year as poor harvests in Colombia and elsewhere forced roasters to deplete inventories. 16. Ethiopian business leaders fear that a prolonged conflict could devastate both economies, already reeling after poor harvests last year. 17. Food supplies meant to tide people over through this poor harvest are already running out. 18. If genetically engineered cotton produces poor harvests, big losses can result. 19. Last year, a poor harvest came as expansion by millers boosted national capacity to almost twice domestic demand. 20. Others are hoping even a lousy crop will be enough to provide a profit, because a poor harvest usually means higher crop prices. |