United Nations agencies warn that Burma's food shortages and escalating prices pose a threat to its food security. Aid agencies also say Burma may need food assistance for at least a year to support communities devastated by Cyclone Nargis.
联合国机构警告说，缅甸食品短缺和不断上涨的食品价格对该国的食品安全构成了威胁。国际援助机构同时表示，缅甸可能至少在未来一年，都需要食品援助，来救助那些在纳尔吉斯风暴中受灾的民众。
In its latest assessment, the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization says hundreds of thousands of people in remote regions of the Irrawaddy Delta have yet to receive food aid, nearly a month after the cyclone. Up to 75 percent of the population most in need is not receiving regular food assistance.
联合国粮农组织在最新的评估报告中表示，强热带风暴已经过去将近一个月了，但是缅甸伊洛瓦底江三角洲的偏远地区，成千上万的民众至今还没有收到任何救援食品。在那些最急需援助的民众当中，有多达75%的人都没有得到常规的食品援助。
Aid agencies estimate more than two million people need food, shelter and medical care as a result of Cyclone Nargis, which came ashore the night of May 2. The storm killed 78,000 people and left 56,000 missing.
国际援助机构估计，在缅甸5月2号晚间受到风暴袭击之后，有多达两百万人需要食品、住所和医疗设施。在那次风暴中丧生的人数多达七万八千人，而且至今还有五万六千人失踪。
The FAO says food shortages along with escalating prices "posed a risk to national security". Rice prices in Rangoon have doubled this month while prices of staples such as eggs had risen sharply.
联合国粮农组织表示，食品短缺、价格飙升“对缅甸的国家安全构成了威胁”。在仰光，大米的价格仅这个月就翻了一番，而鸡蛋等其他主要食品的价格也都大幅度上涨。
The cyclone destroyed crops just before the main rice harvest. The loss is compounded by the deaths of 150,000 water buffalo, needed to plow paddies.
5月2号那场风暴来临之际，正逢大米即将收割的季节。庄稼被风暴彻底摧毁，不仅如此，十五万头耕牛也在风暴中丧生。
Paul Risley, the World Food Program's Asia spokesman, says Burma may need aid for a year.
联合国世界粮食计划署亚洲项目发言人保罗.莱斯利说，缅甸可能一整年都需要援助。
"It's quiet clear that there will be needs for continued food assistance in all of these communities - not only over the next three months, (or) six months, but possibly until the next proper good harvest and that's going to be literally a year away," Risley said.
他说：“显然所有这些地区都会一直需要食品援助，不光是今后三个月、六个月，很有可能一直要到下一个收获季节，也就是一年以后了。”
Aid agencies say a new crop of rice needs to be planted within weeks to avoid a prolonged food crisis. But Risley says it is unlikely the planting will be done.
国际援助机构表示，为了避免长时期的食品危机，缅甸必须在今后几个星期内，播种下一季稻谷。但是保罗.莱斯利担心，这恐怕很难做到。
"The last thing these farmers are prepared to do right now is to re-seed these fields and plow them and get them back into shape and plant the rice that needs to be planted within the three to four weeks, or we really risk seeing no harvest at all for the next year. And that's an incredibly dangerous situation," Risley said.
他说：“农民现在根本没有心思去重新播种稻谷，修整农田、在今后三、四个星期里播种稻谷，但是要不这样的话，那么明年一年，就有可能得不到任何收成，那就太危险了。”
Debbie Stothardt, the spokeswoman for rights group the Alternative ASEAN Network, says Burma's economy is so fragile that it could force many in the country to migrate looking for work.
斯多特哈尔德女士是东盟替代网络权益组织的发言人。她认为，缅甸脆弱的经济状况可能迫使很多人到别的地方去寻找工作。
"Even before Cyclone Nargis struck last year Burma experienced an inflation rate of 50 percent," she noted. "If this disaster is not addressed comprehensively and quickly and effectively you are going to send millions of people from Burma out into the rest of the region as migrants simply because they can no longer survive in their own country, which ironically used to be considered "the rice bowl of Asia".
她说：“在纳尔吉斯风暴来临之前，缅甸去年经历了50%的通货膨胀。假如这场灾难不能全面、及时、有效地得以处理的话，我们将会看到千百万缅甸人大批迁徙到亚太地区其他地方，因为他们在自己的国家已经生存不下去了。非常令人感叹的是，缅甸历来以‘亚洲的米仓’著称。”
Burma's military government last week agreed to allow more foreign aid workers in to the hardest hit areas. Aid agencies say the flow of supplies is growing, but workers still must give authorities 48 hours notice before they can go to the delta region.
缅甸军政府上星期同意允许外国救援人员到受灾最重的地方去展开工作。国际救援机构表示，进入缅甸的物资目前的确在不断增加，但是救援人员还必须在48小时之前通知政府部门，才能进入伊洛瓦底江三角洲地带。 |