Coffee backbone of devastated E. Timor<\/p>\n
ERMERA, East Timor (AP): High in East Timor's hills, hundreds
\nof poor farmers lead donkeys laden with sacks of freshly picked
\nred coffee cherries down muddy tracks to a local factory.<\/p>\n
On the ground, piles of green coffee beans dry in the tropical
\nsun, as farmers squat in the dirt and haggle over the value of
\ntheir harvest.<\/p>\n
This pastoral scene in Southeast Asia may seem from a bygone
\nera, but for the East Timorese, it's their best shot at economic
\nself-sufficiency.<\/p>\n
Soon after the independence ballot that led to East Timor's
\nviolent break from Indonesia last August, many observers had
\npredicted the new nation might never sustain its own economy and
\nremain reliant upon foreign aid.<\/p>\n
Nearly a year later, East Timor's U.N. administrators are
\noptimistic that the tiny half-island state may eventually have a
\nchance at economic viability through its one cash crop: high
\nquality, organically grown coffee.<\/p>\n
After centuries of colonial misrule by Portugal and 25 years
\nof the Indonesian occupation, East Timor is one of the poorest
\nparts of Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
Much of its infrastructure lies in ruins, destroyed by angry,
\npro-Indonesian militia gangs after last year's referendum
\nsupported independence.<\/p>\n
Outside the capital, Dili, electricity and water supplies are
\nsporadic at best. In the cities and towns, unemployment runs at
\nabout 80 percent. Gangs of youths roam the streets looking for
\nways to make money. Little foreign investment is coming in due to
\nan uncertain political future and messy land disputes.
\nYet the outlook for coffee is bright.<\/p>\n
East Timor's coffee factories and crops weren't destroyed in
\nthe violence. Starbucks Corp., the U.S.-based coffee giant,
\nalready is one of East Timor's best clients, and there is hope
\nthe territory's beans will end up in many of the world's
\ncappuccinos, lattes and espressos.<\/p>\n
More broadly, the United Nations is drawing up an economic
\nblueprint aimed at providing East Timor with a strong, albeit
\nsmall, economy - centered around coffee - before pulling out in
\nabout two years.<\/p>\n
Offshore oil and gas reserves, still relatively undeveloped,
\nbring in about US$5 million a year. That figure should multiply
\nseveral times when new fields are tapped by 2003. East Timor is
\nnegotiating with its neighbor, Australia, to increase its share
\nof royalties from oil projects.<\/p>\n
U.N. economist Fermada Borges said the world body also is
\nlooking into a possibly lucrative fishing industry and has
\nstarted to replant valuable sandalwood trees that once quilted
\nthe island's mountains and hills.<\/p>\n
But the biggest cash crop should be coffee. The Portuguese
\nestablished plantations in East Timor's highlands several
\ncenturies ago. With cheap labor and a thirsty coffee market, the
\nindustry thrived.<\/p>\n
When Indonesia invaded in 1975, the military took control of
\nthe lucrative trade, but prices, processing standards and exports
\nslumped.<\/p>\n
The monopoly continued until 1994, when New York-born trader
\nSam Filiachi arrived. With a little political help from
\nWashington and some seed capital from the U.S. Agency for
\nInternational Development, he set up an export cooperative that
\nloosened the Indonesia government's tight grip on the coffee
\nbusiness.<\/p>\n
The price paid to farmers increased as the world snapped up
\nEast Timor's organically grown Arabica and Robusta beans. The
\nsmooth flavor and low acidity was an instant hit with coffee
\nlovers and roasting companies seeking to soften their blends.<\/p>\n
Seattle-based Starbucks buys much of East Timor's coffee
\nexports, which increased with every harvest until last year's
\nviolence.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/coffee-backbone-of-devastated-e-timor-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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