The Jakarta Post quoted Chairil Anwar Rasahan, director general of food crops and horticulture, as saying La Nina -- which brings higher than average rainfall -- could hit the rice harvest in 10 of Indonesia's 27 provinces.

"We must be mindful because rice production in those provinces (usually) accounts for 50 per cent of the country's total rice output," he was quoted as saying.

La Nina arises from unusually cool temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and often follows the El Nino weather pattern.

Indonesia's rice output was severely hit last year by prolonged droughts caused by El Nino.

The daily reported that Indonesia had been forced to import 4.1 millions tonnes of rice for the 1998/1999 fiscal year to end-March to make up for the drought-induced shortage.

Chairil said the Ministry of Agriculture would immediately begindrafting contingency plans to address the effects of severe weather.

"The likelihood of flood does not depend only on the intensity of rain, but also on the condition of water catchment areas and drainage systems in the regions," he was quoted as saying.

"That's why we are co-operating with the ministry of public works to upgrade dams (and) irrigation systems."

Soaring rice prices, sparked partly by drought-induced shortages, fuelled a wave of looting and unrest in Indonesia in September, but prices declined after government efforts to tackle the problem in co-operation with the International Monetary Fund.