1.
GV Dutch soldiers picking up tulip bulbs
0.11

2.
CU's Soldiers raking through mud to find bulbs (2 shots)
0.19

3.
SV Farm workers and soldiers at work (2 shots)
0.32

4.
GV Flooded field
0.28

5.
GV & CU Tractor raking up potatoes (3 shots)
0.54

6.
SV & CU Soldiers picking up potatoes (3 shots)
1.14



Initials BB/1814 FC/AW/BB/1824



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Nearly two thousand Dutch soldiers have been called on to help farmers in Zealand to rescue crops of tulip bulbs and potatoes from water-logged fields.

Two months of heavy rain -- with more to come -- have brought floods to many fields. The farmers have had to harvest their crops by hand. Farm machines cannot be used on most farms.

Harvesting had to be suspended after two days last week because it started to rain again.

Now, the farm co-ordinator in Zeeland has asked for another 6,000 men to start work on the fields on Monday (11 November).

The Netherlands earned 15,000 million guilders (GBP 2,250 million pounds sterling) from its export of agricultural and horticultural products last year.