DROUGHT HITS THAI RUBBER AND FRUIT GROWERS

  A drought that began seven weeks ago is
  hurting orchards and rubber plantations in Thailand and
  officials said it could last until May.
      The government is trucking water into parched farms in
  parts of northeastern, eastern and southern provinces, but not
  enough to satisfy farmers, according to press reports.
      There has been no official estimate of damage.
      Officials of Thailand's rain-making institute said its
  airplanes could help little because few clouds were forming for
  them to seed with rain-making chemicals. Thailand has a rainy
  season that normally starts in May and lasts to October.
  

