RANGPUR, July 8, 2020 (BSS) – The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) continues assessment damages of submerged crops on 13,461 hectares of land due to flood in four districts out of five in Rangpur agriculture region.
Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Muhammad Ali said the flood situation continues improving with recession of floodwaters from the submerged croplands in the low-lying areas during the current phase of the deluge.
Field level officials of the DAE are assessing damage of the standing crops as a portion of those would recover from the stresses for remaining under floodwaters for three to four days while some other crops might be damaged due to inundation for a longer period.
“We have started getting partial reports of crop damages from affected areas with recession of floodwaters from almost everywhere in the flood-hit four districts out of total five under the agriculture region,” Ali added.
Meanwhile, the DAE officials have started suggesting the flood-affected farmers for taking next necessary steps to recoup the crop losses after recession of floodwaters from their submerged croplands.
He said the standing crops submerged under floodwaters in 19 affected upazilas of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram and Lalmonirhat with no submergence in Nilphamari of the region this time.
The submerged crops include standing Aman rice seedbeds on 659 hectares of land, Aush rice on 2,157 hectares, vegetables on 999 hectares, groundnut on 21 hectares, maize on 25 hectares, ‘Tiil’ on 346 hectares, ‘Kaun’ on 20 hectares, pepper and ‘Cheena’ on 140 hectares each and jute on 8,954 hectares of land.
“Among the total land area of submerged crops, 37 hectares of land are in Rangpur, 3,552 hectares in Gaibandha, 9,789 hectares in Kurigram and 83 hectares of land in Lalmonirhat districts of the region,” Ali added.
The submerged crops on 13,461 hectares of land constitutes 7.19 percent of total standing crops on 1,87,218 hectares of land in these five districts of the agriculture region.
Officials of all agriculture related departments, organisations and institutions and some NGOs are visiting the affected areas and suggesting ways to the farmers to overcome the situation.
The flood-affected farmers are being suggested for preparing Aman rice seedbeds anew as enough time is remaining for transplantation of the seedlings and taking preparation for cultivation of substitute crops after recession of floodwaters.
“The DAE will assist the affected farmers in recouping crop losses through preparing and transplanting T-Aman seedlings, cultivating early variety ‘mash kalai’, vegetables, maize and other crops on the flood-hit croplands,” Ali added.
Talking to BSS, farmers Dorog Ali and Saidar Rahman of village Char Boraibari and Nasir Uddin of Karim Boraibari village in Sadar upazila of Kurigram said floodwaters submerged their growing T-Aman seedbeds and vegetables.
Similarly, farmers Aynal Haque, of village Sarkerpara and Sukur Ali of Nayarhat village in Nagewari upazila of Kurigram said floodwaters started receding from their submerged vegetables and other croplands.
They said field level officials of the DAE and RDRS Bangladesh, an NGO, are planning to assist them in recouping the crop losses they incurred during the current floods.