SRI LANKA (22 May)
The output of 2003 Maha rice harvested in March is estimated at 1.3 million tonnes, much higher than the previous year’s harvest of 1.1 million tonnes due to favourable weather. Land preparation and sowings of the mostly irrigated Yala dry season paddy crop are completed and the yield will depend on the weather in the next several months.
Due to torrential rains with high gales, Western and Southern parts of Sri Lanka have been experiencing severe floods and landslides in the last several days, reported as the worst floods in 50 years, over 200 persons dead and over 177 000 families have been left homeless. The impact on rice and livestock would be severe, but not be assessed yet. The emergency need for food aid may be large. FAO is planning to help the farmers to rehabilitate the lost crop through interventions by providing the necessary inputs such as seeds, fertilizer and implements.