MALAYSIA (9 February)
Malaysia was also hit by the tsunami disaster but the damage, mainly in the fishery sector, was limited compared to the worst affected countries.
The main paddy crop, sown until November last year, developed under normal rainfall conditions. The harvesting, which started in December in some areas, will be completed in April. An aggregate production of 2.18 million tonnes of paddy is estimated for 2004. This level of domestic production covers only about two thirds of the total rice consumption. The balance (0.6 million tonnes) has to be covered by imports. Imports of wheat and maize in the 2004/05 marketing year (July/June) are estimated at 1.4 million tonnes and 2.6 million tonnes, respectively.