YANGON -- As floodwaters that inundated vast areas of Myanmar recede, the full economic impact of the disaster, as well as its effect on people's lives, is emerging. Farmland and crops worth an estimated $200 million have been destroyed. Rice exports have been halted. Millions of dollars worth of infrastructure has been ruined.
United Nations officials involved in relief operations say it is still too early to estimate the total cost, but economists are warning the damage could push inflation into double digits. The economy was already in a precarious position -- the kyat was spiraling downward against the dollar, and the country faces political uncertainty ahead of the general election in November.
