The outlook for the 1998 winter grains, mainly wheat and some barley, is uncertain as dry conditions in the autumn and a short spell of extreme cold in December may have caused crop damage. Agricultural production is recovering strongly, but processing capacity remains a major bottleneck. Despite mixed growing conditions, the 1997 grain harvest reached a record 820 000 tonnes and included some 300 000 tonnes of wheat, still less than half of the annual requirement. Against the 1997/98 cereal import requirement of some 400 000 tonnes, the country has received food aid allocations amounting to 127 000 tonnes and the balance is expected to be imported commercially. However, there are still some 300 000 vulnerable people needing targeted assistance and the food aid requirement for humanitarian relief has not yet been fully covered. The WFP target population was scaled down to 170 000, including IDPs and vulnerable families involved in food-for-work projects. The remaining beneficiaries are covered by NGOs. WFP food aid needs for 1998 are 15 000 tonnes, of which 7 000 tonnes have not yet been mobilized.