The rising cost of sugar
Sugarcane plantation in Sertaozinho, Brazil.
Brazil's sugarcane woes are bad news for anyone who likes a spoonful of sugar.
The cost of producing sugar in Brazil is set to rise by 85 percent over the next two decades, said a report out today by Czarnikow, the London-based sugar merchant.
Brazil is responsible for more than half of the world's sugar exports, but its crop has been hurt by insufficient investment in replanting and bad weather, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The cost of land and wages, rising inflation and a surging currency have all helped drive production costs higher.
And as the Financial Times point out, the rising cost of sugar is a worry worldwide:
The cost of sugar has become an important political factor as higher prices trigger protests in emerging countries such as India, the world's biggest consumer. Algeria, a big consumer in north Africa which saw shortages earlier this year, suffered riots with protesters chanting "bring us sugar."
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