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Asia Pacific Food Situation Update - July 2010

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Mekong region drought to affect 2010 Asian paddy harvest

Drought conditions in the greater Mekong region at the start of the planting season are expected to affect Asia's 2010 paddy harvest according to the latest FAO assessment which lowered earlier projections for the region by 6.1 million tonnes. Reductions are expected in Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand as well as in the Philippines and China. However, Asia's 2010 paddy production, projected at 637.3 million tonnes (425.2 million tonnes on milled basis), would be some 23 million tonnes over that in the preceding year, led by gains in India, following the 2009 severe drought there, along with Bangladesh and Indonesia, among other countries. The 2010 global paddy harvest is projected at a record 704.4 million tonnes (470 milion tonnes on milled basis), driven by a 3 percent increase in plantings.