Rice producing
areas across Asia have been
hit by huge floods in early
October. Thailand, one of
the world's top growers and
rice exporters has been hard
hit with as much as 10 per
cent of the rice area facing a
threat. According to a senior
Thai agriculture ministry
official, the floods could cut
output to 20.21 million
tonnes in 1995-96, down
from 21.1 million tormes a
year ago and bring it to the
lowest level since 1990. The
Thais hope to offset the
damage if possible through
higher output from onflooded fields and good
monsoon rains.
The story is the same in
Laos where severe flooding has damaged the main
rice crop, damaging about
70,000 hectares of farmlands
and affecting nearly 10 per
cent of the country's population. According to Laos
authorities, the flooding is
the worst in 30 years and
has affected an estimated
400,000 people.
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