A sharp drop in the coffee harvest, the country's principal export, is likely to make American aid even more important in the coming year.

The coffee harvest was the smallest in more than a decade, promising an even bleaker year for many peasants.

This year's coffee harvest is expected to set new records.

During the coffee harvest there may be roadblocks, where soldiers ensure that the coffee is delivered to the government and not the black market.

"In Haut-Zaire it is December and January, when they have the coffee harvest."

The coffee harvest provides a lot of jobs for the locals and even people from other places because it is the main economical activity of this region.

The presence of the insect affects the economy of over 20 million families that depend on the coffee harvest.

This is especially true during the months between main coffee harvests.

Although contras have succeeded in making the coffee harvest more dangerous, they have not systematically tried to disrupt it.

Throughout the 1980s, the Contras destroyed or disrupted coffee harvests as well as other key income-generating crops.