Farmers in different flood affected areas across the country are worried about losing their crops as floodwater inundated vast tracts of Aman and Aus paddy fields.
At least 1.10 lakh hectares of transplanted Aman, 6,000 hectares of T-Aman seedling beds, 7,000 hectares of Bona Aman and 20,440 hectares of Aus paddy fields in Jessore region and in Madaripur, Faridpur, Netrokona and Sherpur districts went under floodwater, primary reports from the DAE in different districts said.
DAE sources expressed their apprehension that a large part of paddy in the inundated fields might be damaged, depriving the farmers of their harvest.
Agriculture officials were assessing the extent of damage and loss of crops in the inundated fields, they said.
Water-logging, overflowing of the river banks, continuous rain and water flow from upstream were the reasons behind the flood and inundation, said officials at the flood forecasting and warning center in Dhaka.
Tapan Kumar Das, a farmer of village Atghara under Tala Upazila in Satkhira district, said all his crops on three bighas of land remained under floodwater for more than three weeks. 'I will get no paddy this year… my family will starve,' lamented Tapan.
Almost 80 per cent of the inundated crops in Satkhira will be damaged as the crops remained submerged for three to five weeks, a DAE official in Satkhira said on condition of anonymity.
The Department of Agriculture Extension director general Md Habibur Rahman, however, claimed that the inundation would not harm the crops as the situation was improving.
'It (inundation) may damage the crops on a very few hectares in different pockets, especially in Satkhira,' he said.
Source : New Age
