By Engr Mamun Islam
RANGPUR, Nov 2, 2020 (BSS) – The recent floods in three phases damaged standing crops on 42,055 hectares of land causing production losses of 1,49,416 tonnes of crops worth Taka 499.16 crore this year in Rangpur agriculture region.
“The floods affected 4,49,285 farmers of all five districts in the region by damaging their growing crops,” Acting Additional Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman told BSS.
The first phase of the deluge damaged standing crops on 8,612 hectares of land causing production losses of 32,664 tonnes of crops worth Taka 104.83 crore affecting 82,412 farmers of 18 upazilas in four districts except Nilphamari of the region.
The second phase of the flood totally damaged standing crops on 6,172 hectares of land causing production losses of 13,994 tonnes of crops worth Taka 69.45 crore affecting 89,827 farmers of 29 upazilas in the region.
“The third phase of the flood caused colossal damage to standing crops on 27,271 hectares of land causing production losses of 1,02,758 tonnes of crops worth Taka 324.88 crore and affecting 2,77,046 farmers of 35 upazilas in the region,” he said.
The three phases of the floods damaged growing Aman rice seedbeds, Transplanted Aman rice, Aush rice, vegetables, jute, maize, ‘Till’, ‘Kawn’ green chilli, ‘Cheena’, groundnut, ‘Mashkalai’ and some other crops.
The floods have damaged seedbeds of Aman rice on 1,195.87 hectares of land causing losses to seedlings worth Taka 15.95 crore affecting 38,705 farmers.
“Besides, the floods damaged the transplanted Aman rice crop on 24,958 hectares of land causing production losses of 70,544 tonnes of rice worth Taka 254 crore and affecting 2,30,431 farmers in the region,” Moniruzzaman said.
The floods have caused production losses of 12,661 tonnes of Aush rice worth Taka 49.79 crore on 4,536 hectares of land affecting 39,120 farmers and 48,113 tonnes of vegetables worth Taka 101.74 crore on 2,877 hectares of land affecting 52,532 farmers.
The floods have caused production losses of 11,726 tonnes of jute worth Taka 107.42 crore on 5.596 hectares of land affecting 56,587 farmers and 380 tonnes of ‘Till’ worth Taka 2.69 crore on 302 hectares of land affecting 2,590 farmers.
The floods have caused production losses of 30.80 tonnes of ‘Kawn’ worth Taka 39.86 lakh on 20 hectares of land affecting 1,225 farmers and 544 tonnes of green chilli worth Taka 5.35 crore on 205 hectares of land affecting 1,920 farmers.
“The floods have caused production losses of 212 tonnes of ‘Cheena’ worth Taka 1.37 crore on 140 hectares of land affecting 215 farmers and 171.50 tonnes of groundnut worth Taka 10.12 lakh on 89.50 hectares of land affecting 1,355 farmers,” he said.
Talking to BSS, farmers Saidar Rahman, Hashem Ali, Fazlul Haque and Nasir Uddin of Kurigram and Rahamat Ali and Obaidur Rahman of Lalmonirhat said floods damaged their growing Aman rice seedlings, vegetables and other crops.
The government through the DAE already distributed Aman rice seedbeds prepared on 221 acres of land in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari among flood-hit farmers to assist them in recouping crop losses in Rangpur agriculture region.
“The DAE is implementing a massive post-flood agri-rehabilitation programme spending Taka 11.06 crore now through distributing seeds and fertilisers among 1,38,500 flood-hit farmers to assist them in cultivating eight varieties of Rabi crops on one bigha of land each across the region,” Moniruzzaman added.