FAO Appeals For Myanmar Cyclone Aid

In the first major assessment of the damage wrought by the May 2 cyclone on Myanmar's rice bowl, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched a fresh appeal for $83 million in emergency and long-term agricultural assistance nearly seven weeks after the storm left 134,000 dead or missing and 2.4 million destitute.

According to FAO, more than 50,000 farmers in cyclone-hit Myanmar will be unable to plant a new rice crop by August unless they receive immediate aid.

The storm surge wiped out up to 85 percent of rice seed stockpiled by farmers and killed 120,000 draught animals.