Cyclone damages 20 percent of rice paddy in Myanmar: FAO

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Cyclone Nargis damaged 20 percent of the rice paddy in Myanmar's five disaster areas, the U.N. food agency said on Thursday, warning that farmers needed immediate aid to plant a new crop to avoid food shortages.

Some 650,000 hectares of paddy mainly in Irrawaddy and Yangon divisions suffered damage, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said, citing estimates from Myanmar's agriculture ministry.

"About 20 percent of the rice fields have been damaged," FAO regional chief He Changchui told Reuters, adding farmers had about 50 days to plant their next rice crop.

"There is not much time. Planting season has started already. We need to have the funds and resources to bring the farmers back," He Changchui said in an interview. (Reporting by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Anshuman Daga)