Singapore – Dutch brewer Heineken said on Thursday it will begin building a beverage plant in East Timor this year that will manufacture a range of drinks including beer.

The company said in a statement that it had signed an agreement with the East Timor government to build the facility, which will require an investment of between US$30 million and US$45 million.

It will manufacture "a range of drinks including beer, soft drinks and water," according to the statement, released by Heineken's Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore.

Construction of the plant, to be located near the East Timor capital Dili, will commence this year, with the facility expected to provide around 200 jobs directly and create indirect employment for another 800 people.

East Timor is a poor half-island nation that was occupied by Indonesia for over two decades before it formally gained independence in 2002.

Source: http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/consumer/heineken-to-build-beverage-plant-in-east-timor