Some raw materials — particularly sweet ones —

Some raw materials — particularly sweet ones — that are exposed to El Niño could be even more expensive in the coming months. Futures contracts on orange juice, cocoa, coffee and sugar have soared in part because of extreme weather and supply concerns related to the weather pattern. It’s a naturally occurring climate pattern that takes place when sea temperatures in the eastern Pacific rise 0.5 degrees Celsius above the long-term average, and it can often be the cause of more storms and droughts. Agribusiness bank Rabobank said it’s likely to hit major sugar exporting countries such as Thailand, India and Australia especially hard, but the impact typically takes time to spread across the globe.