The outlook for the wheat crop is favourable and an output matching last year's record of about 1.45 million tonnes is expected. The prospects for the boro rice crop, to be harvested from April, has improved with occasional showers and prolonged cool weather helping to conserve soil moisture.
As of end-February 1998, the government-held cereal stocks were estimated at 499 000 tonnes compared to 833 000 tonnes in the previous year. Current projections indicate that the country will import some 926 000 tonnes of wheat and 500 000 tonnes of rice.