nhk world's hiromi hirose joined us. i started by asking him if asia's economy will continue to grow. >> well, recently we are more likely to hear growth in asia is slowing. for example the growth rate of china's economy in the current quarter fell below 8% for first time in three years. there's data that clearly show that india's growth is also slipping. this economic outlook was released by adb. it's a further downward adjustment from its earlier projection. >> how much is the debt crisis in europe affecting asia's economy? >> well, i talked to the managing director general of adb about it. he thinks that effects are clear. the euro crisis will affect asia. >> we are, obviously, interconnected. i think it's also important to say that asia is increasingly able to consume within its own boundary. >> what he seems to be saying is that there may be some ups and downs in the short term, but we don't need to be so pessimistic over the mid to long term. this is a long-term growth prediction as calculated by adb. in the 1970s,

. >> and that was hiromi hirose. >>> here's the latest market figures. >>> thailand's growing middle class is getting a taste for premium coffee. it's a market that has doubled in just ten years. and we're not only talking about lattes and cappuccinos. thai farmers now produce some of the world's most expensive coffee using beans processed in a very unusual way. our reporter satomi aso went to try the flavor. >> reporter: this coffee in central thailand offers a special cup of coffee that costs more than $30 a cup. that's 20 times the normal price for coffee. it has its origins in malaysia. its unique test attracts coffee recovers from all over thailand. >> translator: it is really different from ordinary coffee. >> reporter: the coffee owner is also a farmer who pioneered a production of coffee in thailand. he shared with us the secret of his success. >> reporter: you can't produce kofi luk without the 50 centimeter long wild animals. they have an appetite for coffee berries. they consume the fruit but leave the coffee beans undigested in their droppings. on their journey, the beans