FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 09/98 - LAOS* (3 September)
Drought conditions since late June are reported to be threatening the main rice crop, for harvest later in the year. In southern parts of the country, particularly in Savannakhet Province, thousands of hectares of the rice crop are reported to have been damaged. The affected provinces were also reported to have been hit by severe floods in the last three years, making it difficult for households to withstand the effects of the drought. Last May the Government made an appeal to donors for 35 000 tonnes of rice in food aid.
Aggregate paddy production in 1997/98 was estimated at 1.6 million tonnes, about 13 percent above average.
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