Floods inundated 70,000 hectares of rice fields: minister

The floods that occurred in a number of regions in Indonesia during the past three months inundated almost 70,000 hectares of rice fields and caused harvest failures on 6,676 hectares, Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono said. "The floods that have been happening since last October have inundated 68,277 hectares of rice fields, of which some 6,676 hectares failed to be harvested," the minister said. He said the total area of flood-affected rice fields this year was wider than last year when only 66,400 hectares were flooded. "But the acreage which failed to be harvested this year was smaller," he added. (http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2007/12/28/floods-inundated-70-000-hectares-of-rice-fields-minister/