South Asia tsunami crops boost
Indonesian farmers, who saw the tsunami turn their fields into briny, debris-strewn swamps, are now harvesting their best crops for decades.
“The sea water turned out to be a great fertiliser,” said Aceh resident Muhammad Yacob, 66. “We are looking at yields twice as high as last year.”
Rice, the region’s staple food, is not the only crop thriving on tsunami-affected land in Indonesia’s Aceh province, which suffered the worst damage and loss of life in the December 26 disaster.
Farmers say vegetables, peanuts and fruit are also growing well, spurring hopes that agriculture in the still devastated region will recover faster than expected.
But bumper harvests for some mask a very precarious future for most farmers, experts say, with much fertile land still under water or sand churned up from the ocean floor.
