FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops and Shortages 06/02 - HONDURAS (28 May)
Planting of the 2002/03 first season cereal and bean crops has started with the arrival of the rainy season. The rains have been particularly heavy in the central parts of the country and damage to rural housing and infrastructure is reported. So far, no serious damage to the agricultural sector has been reported. Production of maize, the main cereal, is expected to recover from last year, when the first season crops were affected by severe drought. The food supply situation should remain tight until harvest of the first season crops which is due from August. This is particularly true in the drought affected departments of Choluteca, Francisco de Morazán, Intibuca, Valle, Comayagua and El Paraiso in the south, where food assistance was distributed to the hardest stricken groups.