By D. Arul Rajoo, Bernama,
Yangon : With food running out of stock and padi-planting season coming to an end, the United Nations and Asean have made a joint appeal for immediate supply of 50,000 tonnes of rice and 1.2 million gallons (5.5 million litres) of diesel for Cyclone Nargin victims.
Asean secretary-general Dr Surin Pitsuwan said the World Food Programme (WFP) had told him the current supply for victims in the Irrawaddy delta were enough only until the year-end, adding that they are looking to buy at a “friendship” price of US$1,000 (RM3,300) per tonne in being traded in recent months.
“They need it fast and we have appealed to friendly governments and Asean dialogue partners to help us. Some Asean countries are keen to release their portion from the food security stock,” he told the Asean media covering the Asean Task Force meetings on the Cyclone Nargis being held here.
Surin said Myanmar had also appealed for 3.6 million begs of fertilizer and 5.5 million litres of diesel to help farmers operate their ploughing machines as they would miss out the current planting season.
More than 120,000 buffaloes and cows usually used in the ploughing were killed in the May 2 and 3 cyclone that struck south of Yangon and the country’s rice bowl in Irrawaddy delta, killing close to 140,000 people and injuring about 20,000.
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Noeleen Heyzer said it was crucial for farmers to meet their planting season and get seeds, fertilizer and diesel to rebuild their livelihood and redevelop the delta destroyed by the deadly cyclone.
Asked if international relief agencies had managed to reach all the 2.4 million affected by the cyclone, Heyzer said the situation was much better than before the Asean-led assessment team went to the ground, adding that access was improving although there were difficulties in getting to some remote areas.
A three-week assessment carried out by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) showed at least US$83 million (RM270.8 million) needed to provide immediate assistance to farmers and fishermen as over 52,000 farmers are at risk of missing the padi-planting season in their 183,000 hectares.
Myanmar could lose about half-a-million tonnes of rice or two per cent of the country’s total production.
Heyzer said it was a tremendous opportunity for UN agencies working in the cyclone relief effort to test new partnership and how to respond to disasters, adding that the continent accounts for 50 per cent of the world’s disaster and 80 per cent of victims.
She said while the Asean-led Post Nargis Joint Assessment for Response, Recovery and Reconstruction gave valuable information on the destruction and type of assistance needed on the ground.
The Myanmar Government also worked well with the international community to deliver the aids.
“I think the pace of response was remarkable…the four weeks made a lot of difference. The Village Tract Assessment was a milestone. The three parties brought the crisis into an opportunity to build relationships…we can’t imagine that before the cyclone,” she said.
On whether a body would be established to undertake the reconstruction and rehabilitation process, Surin said the international community that would likely want to contribute some kind of mechanism but it needs the approval from the Myanmar Government.
He said a revision-pledging conference would be held in New York on July 10 while the full report from the assessment team would be tabled at the Asean Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Singapore on July 21.
China, India and Bangladesh have also been invited to sit on the advisory panel of the cyclone relief efforts, he said.
Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Thu Thu, who chairs the Asean Humanitarian Task Force, told the meeting today nearly 660 visas have been issued for foreign relief experts while 10 helicopters from WFP are facilitating the delivery of relief commodities.
He said the immediate requirement was to ensure farming and fishing activities could resume as soon as possible.