In mid July, floods killed some 80 people and left over 100 000 homeless in 19 of the country's 64 administrative districts. Ten districts in the southeast, including Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and the Chittagong Hill Tracts were the worst hit. An assessment of crop losses is being made. Although the full extent of damage will only be ascertained when floodwaters recede, unconfirmed reports estimate that standing crops on about 124 000 hectares were damaged. In addition to crops, several thousand hectares on shrimp and fish farms were also destroyed.
Harvesting of the rainfed 'Aus' rice crop, which normally accounts for some 10 percent of production, is about to commence. The target for the crop is 1.8 million tons. Output of the recently harvested “Boro” crop is estimated at 7.33 million tons, slightly below target and similar to the previous year. “Boro” paddy normally accounts for almost 40 percent of aggregate rice production. Aggregate cereal production for 1996/97 is estimated at some 30 million tons, some 9 percent above the previous year and 7 percent above average for the preceding five years.
Bumper wheat and rice harvests last year are expected to have resulted in lower cereal imports in the 1996/97 marketing year with wheat imports estimated at 1.1 million tons and rice imports 150 000 tons. As a result of favourable production last year, the overall food supply situation is considered to be satisfactory. As at the end of June, Government held stocks were estimated at 873 000 tons of cereals, including 466 000 tons of wheat and 407 000 tons of rice.