Aceh: Results of an evaluation a year after the tsunami – Fishupdate.com

Aceh: Results of an evaluation a year after the tsunami Published:  23 December, 2005

IN the Aceh province of Indonesia, nearly a year after the tsunami, revised estimates put paddy production for 2005 at 1.43 million tonnes and surplus production is expected to be around 200,000 tonnes for the 2005/06 marketing year, according to a recent joint FAO/WFP evaluation mission.

Many farmers in the affected areas had only one harvest in 2005 and are now preparing for the 2006 wet season paddy crop. Some 29,000 hectares of farmland have been rehabilitated out of the 37,500 hectares damaged by the tsunami.

In the fisheries sector, 2005 fish output is estimated to have declined by 41 percent for marine fishing and 26 percent for brackish water aquaculture. Based on the calculation that 15 percent of the fishermen were lost, a sustainable fisheries plan called for rebuilding of only 6 000 new boats to replace some 10 800 damaged/lost boats. So far 4 073 boats have been distributed.