COLOMBIA (1 October)
Harvesting of 2004 main maize crop (two thirds are yellow maize and one third is white maize) is well advanced and early forecast point to a production of some 890 000 tonnes, with about a 20 per cent increase compared to last year’s same season. This result is mainly due to favourable weather conditions in the Caribbean coastal areas at sowing and to a 10 per cent increase in plantings as a consequence of government incentives in traditional coffee regions. At the same time, planting of the second season cereal crops to be harvested from January is about to start. Production of paddy is provisionally estimated at 2.5 million tonnes this year, some 10 per cent higher than the previous five-year average. Wheat import requirements in marketing year 2004 (January/December) are forecast at 1.2 million tonnes as in the previous year. Maize imports (almost entirely yellow maize for feed industry) are also expected to be similar to the volume of 2.1 million tonnes imported in marketing year 2003 (January/December). The international community is providing food assistance in various parts of the country to the internally displaced population, victims of the civil strife affecting the nation.