NICARAGUA* (12 May)
Planting of 2004/05 first season cereal and bean crops is about to start. First seasonal rains are expected by the end of May. Harvesting of the small 2003/04 third “apante” maize crop has been recently completed and the aggregate 2003/04 marketing year maize crop output is expected at a record level of 540 000 tonnes. Aggregate production of beans for year 2003/04 is also forecast to be a record at 210 000 tonnes, mainly due to high yields in the important third crop that has been recently harvested. Import requirements in marketing year 2004/05 (July/June) are forecast at 125 000 tonnes of wheat, 80 000 tonnes of maize and 110 000 tonnes of rice.
Food assistance continues to be provided by the international community, particularly in the flood-prone areas of the Northern Atlantic Region and in the coffee crisis-affected municipality of Matagalpa.