The East German coffee crisis was a shortage of coffee in the late 1970s in East Germany caused by a poor harvest and unstable commodity prices, severely limiting the government's ability to buy coffee on the world markets. As a consequence, the East German government increased its engagement in Africa and Asia, exporting weapons and equipment to coffee-producing nations.[1]
- ^ "Kaffee gegen Waffen: DDR und Äthiopien – eine schwierige Beziehung" [Coffee for Weapons: East Germany and Ethiopia - A Difficult Relationship]. Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (in German). 6 August 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2019.