A U.N. food agency says rice prices in the capital of Myanmar have surged 50 percent since a devastating cyclone.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said Monday that the cyclone struck as paddy farmers were harvesting the dry season crop that accounts for 20 percent of annual production.

The Rome-based FAO says the destruction could reduce access to food and may force Myanmar to seek imports from neighboring countries. It also could negatively impact global rice production.