September 25, 2007

Uganda floods worsen; 2007/08 corn output seen down

Heavy rains are continuing in Uganda's main corn-growing areas adding to the severe flooding that has already destroyed thousands of hectares of corn fields, an industry official told Dow Jones Newswires Monday (September 24).

According to an official with the private Uganda Grain Millers' Association, the country's 2007-08 corn output will be down because of the damage to the corn grown in the east and north of Uganda which is usually gathered in a second harvest between July and September.

The second harvest accounts for nearly half of the country's annual corn output, the official added.

The rains will continue and reach peak levels in October and November this year, the Ugandan Meteorological department said, and predicted that flooding would get worse.

The Uganda Grain Millers' Association put the annual corn output at 600,000 tonnes and domestic consumption 350,000 tonnes for the year. Up to 100,000 tonnes of corn are usually sold to the UN World Food Program and the surplus is normally exported to regional markets mainly to Kenya.

The Ugandan Ministry of Relief and Disaster Preparedness said flooding has displaced up to 150,000 people. Last week, the Ugandan government declared a state of emergency in the eastern and northern parts of the country where roads and bridges have been either washed a way or submerged thus hampering relief efforts.

In the 2006/07 season, Uganda produced up to 580,000 tonnes of corn.