Cambodian flood destroys 4.4% of rice paddies this year

Recent Mekong River flash floods have entirely damaged 113,260 hectares of rice paddies, or 4.4 percent of the total rice-planted area of 2.56 million hectares, according to an agricultural report Tuesday. "The floods had affected 369,346 hectares of rice paddies. Of the figures, 113,260 hectares were completely destroyed,"Minister of Agriculture Ouk Rabun said in a report submitted to Prime Minister Hun Sen."Despite suffering from flooding, rice production this year is still expected to achieve good results." Agriculture is one of the four major pillars supporting the economy. Rabun said the ministry had been cooperating with local authorities in order to re-grow rice in damaged areas. Floods had hit the country since mid-September, killing at least 168 people and affecting more than 1.8 million others, Nhim Vanda, 1st vice-president of the National Committee for Disaster Management, said last week. The floods also damaged some 440 km of national roads and 3,693 km of gravel roads. He said the destruction from flooding was estimated to top 1 billion U.S. dollars due to the damages to rice paddies and roads. Floods usually hit Cambodia between August and October.