U.S. buys Timor coffee

DILI, East Timor (JP): NCBA, a United States trading company, plans to buy 4,000 tons of coffee from East Timor this year, an official has said.

NCBA will buy it from the province's village cooperatives.

I Wayan Suasta, head of the villages' cooperatives, said yesterday the coffee would be bought from the Ermera, Liquica, and Ainaro regencies' farmers at about Rp 800 (32 US cents) a kilogram.

So far they have bought about 200 tons.

NCBA bought about 3,000 tons of coffee last year. It exports it to the U.S., Australia and several Asian countries. (33/das)