Torrential rains and flooding due to El Niño continued to affect the country by end-April and May, seriously affecting the littoral west, the northern, northeastern and central regions of the country. The current floods are reckoned to be the biggest in the history of the country. Enormous damage to housing, rural roads, bridges and railways is reported. The Government has made an appeal for international assistance to meet immediate relief requirements. The agricultural sector has also been affected but crop losses are of a lesser magnitude. The rains negatively affected harvesting of the 1998 wheat and barley crops. Wheat output was about 505 000 tonnes, lower than expected, but still about average. Barley production was below average.
Paddy output is provisionally estimated at less than 900 000 tonnes, which compares to last year’s 1.1 million tonnes.