Richard China is the Rome-based Co-ordinator for FAO's response to the Tsunami; he recently visited Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Indonesia and Thailand. Commenting on the progress made to the needs' assessment in South-Asia, he says that the Fishery and Livestock sectors have to be urgently rehabilitated and that preparing the March planting season is a priority. Thus, dependency on food aid for the next 12 months could be avoided: