People in flood hardest-hit areas of Myanmar to face food insecurity in coming months

People in the flood hardest-hit area of Myanmar are enduring increased levels of food security in coming months, according to a UN report Friday.

The report is based on a Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO)and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

National paddy production of Myanmar in 2015 is down 2 percent on the average of the past three years due to the flood after Cyclone Komen in late July and early August.

The CFSAM estimated that the national paddy production in 2015 is down 2 percent on the average of the past three years and 3 percent below the production in 2014.

In the worst affected regions/states, particularly in Chin and Rakhine, paddy production is set to fall by 15 percent, constraining food access and pushing consumer prices up.

Nearly 470,000 hectares of rice paddy were affected and almost a quarter of a million livestock were killed, including 23,000 hectares of shrimp ponds, especially in Rakhine state and Sagaing region where the impact of the cyclone was most severe.

FAO is ensuring a focus on longer term interventions which enables farmers and communities to better cope with future emergencies, according to Bui Thi Lan, FAO Representative in Myanmar.

The report also recommends for long term recovery, resilience building and disaster risk reduction, including developing grain banks at communal and regional levels to reduce post-harvest losses; constructing micro-dams in suitable areas and establishing a National Information and Early Warning Unit on Food and Nutrition Security.

FAO aims to meet the immediate agricultural needs of 332,750 individuals still recovering from the 2015 floods. However, FAO and WFP currently face a funding short fall and require further funding to meet all food assistance needs rehabilitation. Endit