INDONESIA (3 October)
Most of the areas normally under the secondary rice crop have been planted. Aggregate paddy production in 2005 is estimated at some 53 million tonnes, down by 2 percent from last year, as a result of late plantings, some flooding, and the impact of the tsunami of 26 December 2004. But this level is still 1.9 percent above the average of the previous five years. The output from the 2005 maize crop is provisionally estimated at some 11.7 million tonnes, 4.6 percent higher than last year. The overall food supply situation in Indonesia is satisfactory. Wheat (no domestic production) imports in 2005/06 are forecast to remain stable at around 4.3 million tonnes, while maize imports are expected slightly lower at 0.6 million tonnes.
The food aid distributions are ongoing in tsunami-hit areas. The estimated beneficiary number in September stood at 600 000 for General Food Distribution in Aceh and North Sumatra, at 332 438 for School Feeding Programme (SFP), and at 33 302 for Maternal and Child Nutritional Programme. FAO is working closely with the Government in providing technical and policy assistance to plan and coordinate rehabilitation efforts in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors. An FAO/WFP Food Supply and Demand Assessment Mission will visit Aceh Province in early November.
Five cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza virus have been confirmed in Indonesia, with three deaths and two people being treated. Bird flu has killed more than 60 people in four Asian countries since late 2003.