The 2001 rice crop will be "fairly good," with the harvest index standing at 103 against the base of 100 for an average year, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry has announced.
The rice crop will be better than average for the second straight year, according to the Oct. 15 index reading.
A reading of 106 or higher is deemed "good," while readings between 102 and 105 are considered "fairly good."
Readings ranging from 99 to 101 are considered average. Readings between 95 and 98 are "pretty poor," while those between 91 and 94 are "poor." An index reading of 90 or below is considered "very poor."
The ministry also said paddies across the nation are expected to produce 9,047,000 tons of rice this year, 430,000 tons less than last year.
However, the expected harvest is still about 110,000 tons more than the expected demand for 2001 calculated by the Food Agency. The excess harvest will be used as animal feed, the ministry said.