Floods damage India's corn crop, rice also hit

By Mayank Bhardwaj

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Massive monsoon floods in eastern India damaged vast areas of corn and affected the rice crop, government officials and farm experts said on Tuesday, adding that losses are being assessed.

About 1,000 people have died from flooding across India during the last five weeks and thousands are marooned in the worst-affected states of Bihar, Orissa, Assam and Uttar Pradesh.

"We have reports that an area totalling 5.5 million hectares has been affected by floods, largely in eastern parts of the country," Agriculture Commissioner N.B. Singh told Reuters. "But we are yet to know the exact extent of damage to crops."

Initial reports received by the farm ministry showed corn production would be affected by the floods, he said.

The eastern region accounts for about 30 percent of India's annual corn output of 13-14 million tonnes.

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