June 10 (Bloomberg) -- Ethiopia’s government earned about $21 million from the sale of coffee it seized from private merchants in March, the Walta Information Center reported, citing the Ministry of Agriculture.

The government seized 18,000 metric tons of coffee from six of the country’s largest private exporters after accusing them of stockpiling the beans, the news service said. The government exported 10,361 tons of coffee itself and sold the remainder to other private exporters in Ethiopia, Walta added.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jason McLure in Addis Ababa via Johannesburg at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 10, 2009 02:04 EDT