In mid-May, a cyclone killed at least 112 people and left a million homeless. Some 23 thanas were severely affected in coastal areas. Provisional estimates indicate that the standing boro crop was damaged on around 15 000 hectares. In addition rural households lost food and seed stocks. The economic cost of crop damage is estimated by the Ministry of Agriculture at about US $16.46 million. Overall damage to rice was limited, however, by the fact that a large proportion of the boro crop had already been harvested.
Output of the recently harvested wheat crop is put at a bumper 1.4 million tons, slightly higher than estimated earlier, some 80 000 tons above last year and 18 percent above average for the preceding five years. The bumper crop is attributed to favourable weather conditions and adequate supplies of fertilizer and water which enhanced yields. Favourable weather conditions overall are also expected to result in a Boro rice crop of some 7.33 million tons, slightly below target and similar to last year. The production of milled rice in 1996/97, is estimated at some 18.75 million tons, comprising 1.87 million tons from the Aus, 9.55 million tons from the Aman and 7.33 million tons from the Boro crops respectively.
Favourable cereal production in 1996/97, will reduce import requirements of both rice and wheat. Wheat imports are now estimated at around 1.1 million tons and rice imports 150 000 tons for the calendar year. Rice prices have been stable in recent weeks, reflecting a relatively comfortable food grain situation. Government cereal stocks at the end of March stood at 923 000 tons, of which 516 000 tons were rice and 407 000 tons wheat.