BANGLADESH* (6 June)
Harvesting of the 2005 wheat crop, a small contributor to the country’s food supply, has been completed. Provisionally, the output is estimated at 1.48 million tonnes, 1.2 percent above last year but 1.4 below the five-year average. Harvesting of the 2005 Boro (spring) rice, accounting for more than 50 percent of total annual rice production was completed in May. A bumper Boro paddy harvest is estimated, reflecting favourable weather condition, timely supply of seeds, fertilizers and other agricultural inputs.
Bangladesh lost about 700 000 tonnes of Aman rice last year due to the worst floods in 15 years, which made ten million people homeless. The government stock was depleted to a dangerous level this Spring. The shortfall in Aman production led to soaring foodgrain prices which has affected not only rice consumption, but also seed procurement for the current Aman season. The 2005 bumper Boro crop is expected to help the country recover from the serious shortfalls in domestic food supply and to stabilise food prices.
A tornado on Sunday 20 March 2005 killed at least 56 people, injured more than 1 000 and made at least 10 000 people lose their homes. Also, a number of severe storms accompanied by strong winds, heavy rain and hail, have hit Bangladesh in the past several weeks.
The floods in the late summer of last year had devastating effects on the agriculture sector.
WFP provided assistance to 1.5 million flood-affected households through general food distribution immediately after the flood and assisted 420 000 mother and children through the Supplementary Feeding Programme. Over 600 000 children in flood-affected areas are still receiving food assistance under the school-feeding programme which will continue until November 2005. Also, WFP provides food assistance through various micro-level livelihood activities to some 23 500 unskilled participants (over 90 percent women) in four districts.