| Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has asked the | | | | three percent of the worlds coffee and less than one |
| coffee producing countries to form a international | | | | percent of the coffee exports. In reality no Venezuela |
| co-op as a means to control pricing. As for controlling | | | | coffee to speak of is exported to the United States. |
| pricing Chavez states the USA and George Bush | | | | Chavez called upon the coffee countries to follow the |
| have taken advantage of the Latin American countries | | | | model of OPEC in controlling the quality of coffee |
| long enough and the café brothers need to | | | | produces, the quantity of coffee produced and of |
| band together to keep prices up. His passionate | | | | course the pricing of coffee. |
| speech came amid reports that coffee production has | | | | The FDA announced this week that world production |
| far exceeded expected production reports which in | | | | of coffee would far exceed expectations and that |
| normal market conditions will cause prices to drop. | | | | many countries contributed to the higher levels. The |
| Furthermore Chavez called upon his Asian and African | | | | Africa coffee countries expect production to exceed |
| brothers to band with them and to keep coffee prices | | | | last years numbers by 75 percent and to exceed this |
| high. He asked countries to control exports and to | | | | level projections by fifty percent. Favorable weather |
| keep prices high. He stated his gourmet coffee teams | | | | conditions, improved water supply and improved |
| must united for the good of all. Venezuela is a coffee | | | | farming techniques contributed to the improved farming |
| growing country but is not a major player in the coffee | | | | productions. None of the Africa countries commented |
| world. Venezuela produces three lines of coffee but | | | | on Chavez' remarks nor made any suggestions that |
| exports very little of it. Venezuela produces less than | | | | they would follow his lead. |