Myanmar claims rice sufficiency despite flood

Myanmar has claimed sufficiency of rice supply until the end of this year despite recent flood which slowed down rice production, according to an official report Sunday.

Over 500,000 tons of rice are still in stock for the next three months, the Ministry of Commerce was quoted as saying.

Flood has affected more than 1.4 million acres (567,000 hectares) of paddy field and destroyed more than 800,000 acres, it said.

However, Ayeyawaddy region, the country's prime source of rice, was not affected by the flooding as severely as other regions thanks to the quick recession of flood, it added.

Myanmar's harvest season for rice planted in rain-fed field will start in October.

Deadly flood, triggered by heavy rainfall since June, has affected 12 regions and states out of 14 in Myanmar, destroying houses, farmland, railway lines, bridges and roads.

The Myanmar government declared on July 31 four disaster zones, namely Rakhine, Chin, Sagaing and Magway, among which Rakhine state was the worst-hit.

Nationwide death toll of the severe flooding rose to more than 121 so far, while more than 1.6 million people across the country have been affected. Endi