"The situation is very alarming...about 80 percent of families have been affected by the calamity," Agriculture Minister Mamadu Badji said after a visit to the affected regions last week.

According to Badji, vast expanses of ricefields have been flooded by the Geba river, the main water source crossing the eastern regions of Bafata and Gabu, causing serious damage to the crop.

Badji estimated that the population would need up to 100,000 tons of rice, the country's staple food, to make up for the devestating loss.

The government of Guinea Bissau is preparing to ask the international community for emergency aid, according to the agriculture minister.

More than 2,000 mm (80 inches) of rain have been recorded since the end of August, a figure much higher than in the past 10 years, the weather service said.

TERRA.WIRE