Jakarta – Coffee beans are travelling under armed guard in Indonesia amid growing looting, traders said yesterday.

About 500 to 1,000 tonnes arrive daily at the trading centre of Bandar Lampung in armed convoys, a trader in the Sumatran town said. "At least three trucks will travel at the same time from the plantations to Bandar Lampung. A van of armed guards also accompanies the convoy. They don't dare to travel alone," he said. "Coffee beans are always transported in armed convoys now to prevent robbery. Looting still occurs in plantation areas.

"Threats of robbery are still there but traders have taken every precaution possible." The trader said it would be useless to ask the police to help because they would ask for money. The beans affected came from three provinces – Lampung, Bengkulu and South Sumatra – which together accounted for about 70 per cent of Indonesia's coffee output.

Soldiers and police were deployed after a weekend bout of looting at a state-run coffee plantation in Jember, East Java province. Hundreds of people looted the state-run coffee plantations Perusahaan Daerah Perkebunan (PDP), taking at least 15 to 20 tonnes of beans each day, residents said. "About 400 people came to the plantations to pick up coffee beans, but things have returned to normal today," police said.

Indonesia is one of the world's main producers of coffee, cocoa, palm oil and rubber. Local prices of these commodities have risen because of the rupiah's massive depreciation. But only coffee has been targeted by looters. Unlike the other commodities, it is an item commonly found in the homes of ordinary Indonesians so tracing looted beans is difficult. Some of the beans are believed to be re-sold to exporters.