Pepper exports fall

JAKARTA (JP): Lampung's black pepper exports fell 22 percent to 13,320 tons for the first nine months of this year from 16,910 tons for the corresponding period of 1995.

Deddy Gurnadi of the provincial Ministry of Industry and Trade said yesterday the value of pepper exports dropped around 30 percent to US$27.6 million for the January-September period from $40.3 million for the same period last year.

He attributed the drop to the province's loss of pepper plantations.

Its pepper plantation area fell 3.5 percent to 44,519 hectares in September from 46,078 hectares in 1995. (04)