Reuters AlertNet Lite - Indonesia denies coffee growing endangering wildlife

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Indonesia denies coffee growing endangering wildlife

24 Jan 2007 10:26:56 GMT
Source: Reuters

JAKARTA, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The government of Indonesia's main coffee-growing area of Lampung denied on Wednesday allegations that coffee plantations had endangered wildlife in a World Heritage Site on the southern tip of Sumatra island.

The WWF conservation group said last week coffee growers were clearing land in the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park and illegal coffee bean growing could wipe out already endangered tigers, elephants and rhinos within 10 years.

The Lampung provincial government said in a statement preventive measures had been taken to reduce illegal land clearing in the protected forest.

"The data issued by WWF was from 2003-2004, while the current condition is much better," the statement said.

"Only a small part of the protected forest has been illegally cut down to grow coffee and other plants, but it has not been increasing."

The local government had asked the Indonesian Coffee Exporters Association in Lampung not to buy coffee beans suspected to have been grown in the national park area.

Each year, more than 19,600 tonnes of illegally grown coffee was being blended with legally produced beans before being sold to international food and drinks companies, WWF said.

Indonesia is the world's second-largest robusta producer after Vietnam.

Robusta-grade coffee constitutes about 85 percent of Indonesia's output, while the rest is aromatic and high-value arabica. Lampung, South Sumatra and Bengkulu provinces account for three-quarters of Indonesia's coffee bean output.

Exports of coffee bean from Sumatra in 2006 dropped 31 percent to 230,635 tonnes, from 334,845 tonnes a year earlier.

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Last updated:Wed Jan 24 10:28:56 2007