Farmers in the areas worst affected by Cyclone Nargis need rice seed before the end of June or Burma's rice harvest this year and next will fail. The United Nations says millions of dollars of agricultural supplies will need to be found immediately. This report from Chris Hogg:

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Farmers in that part of Burma provide two thirds of the country's rice harvest. The UN's Diedrick DeFlaysha says while the emergency relief operation continues for those in the worst affected areas, efforts need now to be made to get the region's farmers back on their feet.

ACT DIEDRICK DEFLAYSHA

"Time is running out. We're really rushing against the clock. They have to plant the rice seeds before the end of June, so there is only forty to fifty days left, otherwise the harvest of the monsoon rice will be lost."

The UN is trying to source strains of rice seed that will grow better in salty soil. In most places the paddy fields can be repaired but the damage caused by the seawater is harder to reverse. If a new crop of rice can't be planted, it won't just be the families in the delta that suffer. People across Burma will go hungry, and the country will be forced to import large amounts of rice in the months to come.

Chris Hogg, BBC News, Bangkok.

Listen to the words

delta
an area of land, usually triangular in shape, which is formed at the mouth of a river which splits off into two or more branches as it reaches the sea. Deltas are usually very rich farmland.

devastated
very badly damaged or completely destroyed

fragile
very weak, delicate or easily damaged

deforestation
the cutting down of large areas of forest, usually so that the land can be used for farming

livestock
animals which are kept on a farm

to get the region's farmers back on their feet
to help the farmers in the area recover from the damage caused by the cyclone and start farming again

rushing against the clock
working very quickly to get something done because there is not much time to do it

monsoon
the seasonal wind in southern Asia, which blows from the northeast in winter, and blows from the southwest (bringing rain) in summer

strains
types, varieties

paddy fields
areas of farmland which are deliberately flooded so that rice can be grown on them

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