Aug. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The United Nations warned of a food crisis across northern India, Bangladesh and Nepal, after monsoon floods destroyed millions of acres of farmland.

``After the floodwaters subside, millions of poor families will remain devastated from the loss of their crops, livestock and in some cases, family members,'' Josette Sheeran, executive director of the UN's World Food Program said yesterday.

More than 2,000 people have died in South Asia since the monsoon rain season began in June, causing rivers to burst their banks and inundate thousands of villages across the region. Aid agencies say the death toll will rise, as stagnant waters become a breeding ground for diseases, including diarrhea, malaria and dengue fever.

In India, where more than 1,500 people have died in the worst-affected states of Bihar, Assam and Uttar Pradesh, the central government has provided $318 million in aid, state-run broadcaster Doordarshan reported today.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, said in a statement it was proposing an aid package of 4 million euros ($5.5 million).

``The flooding is now so serious that in some areas it threatens to overwhelm local response capacity,'' EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel said. ``We are seriously worried about the threat to public health posed by stagnant water and the pollution of drinking water sources.''

Worst Floods

About 30 million people have lost their homes or livelihoods in South Asia's worst floods in living memory, according to the UN Children's Fund, Unicef.

In India's northern Bihar state, about 2.7 million acres of farmland (1.1 million hectares) have been inundated and at least 30,000 homes destroyed, Agence France-Presse reported, citing disaster management officials.

In neighboring Uttar Pradesh state, 1.2 million acres of farmland were flooded, according to the report. Floodwaters swept through 2.1 million acres of farmland in Assam state and destroyed 9,291 homes, the news agency said, citing Revenue and Relief Minister Bhumidhar Barman.

The World Food Program estimated it will need $1.5 million to assist more than 300,000 people affected by flooding in Nepal.

In Bangladesh, crops on 1.6 million acres of farmland have been destroyed or damaged, AFP said.

``There is dim hope that this crop, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, could be recovered,'' said Hamid Mia, a scientist working in Bangladesh for the Manila-based International Rice Research Institute, according to AFP. ``Since Bangladesh's economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, the floods would affect the GDP growth. It now seems impossible to attain the targeted 7 percent GDP growth in this fiscal year.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Ed Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 9, 2007 20:41 EDT