Farmers in Kurigram are facing mounting losses as continuous rainfall has disrupted the Boro harvest season, damaged paddy fields and left nearly half of the crop stranded in waterlogged fields.
The district has recorded the highest rainfall in the past five years.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Boro cultivation was carried out on 1,17,350 hectares of land across the district this season.
Although around half of the harvest has already been completed, nearly 50 per cent of mature paddy still remains in the fields.
The department said heavy rainfall has submerged many low-lying fields, with water reaching the necks of paddy plants in some areas.
There are also fears that straw stored for cattle feed may rot due to prolonged exposure to rainwater.
Officials said harvesting progress improved during the past few days, but renewed rainfall has halted field activities again.
Water levels in many fields rose close to the ears of paddy plants, increasing the risk of crop damage.
Submerged jute fields and vegetable plots are also at risk of being destroyed, the department added.
The situation described by officials was reflected in the accounts of local farmers.
Farmer Mamunur Rashid Kajol from the RDRS Bazar area in Sadar Upazila said he cultivated Boro paddy on three acres of land this year.
He said around one and a half acres remain unharvested as the fields are now underwater.
“I do not think I will be able to recover the remaining paddy because the fields are submerged,” he said.
Kajol added that even the harvested paddy could not be dried properly due to the lack of sunshine.
He feared germination in stored paddy if the weather does not improve soon.
Another farmer from the same area, Jamir Uddin, said he had managed to harvest paddy for two days before rain resumed.
“Half of my field is still left. We cannot harvest in this weather and the harvested paddy is not drying properly either,” he said.
Rajarhat Upazila resident Chobur Mia expressed concern over losing both paddy and straw.
He said nearly half of his crop still remains in the field.
“Only Allah knows what will happen to the remaining paddy. We are not getting fair prices and now we may lose the harvest too,” he said.
Several farmers told this correspondent that they are struggling to protect both paddy and straw from damage.
Farmer Moynal from Jatrapur Union in Sadar Upazila said parts of his fields were already under water and signs of rotting had appeared in some crops.
“We are in trouble with both paddy and straw. The straw from harvested paddy is not drying and mature paddy still remains in the fields,” he said.
Mariam Khatun was seen drying paddy beside a road under uncertain weather conditions.
“The sky changes suddenly. I have been trying to dry the paddy for three days, but rain keeps coming back,” she said.
Kurigram DAE Deputy Director Abdullah Al Mamun said overnight heavy rain had caused waterlogging in many paddy fields.
“Many fields are now submerged up to the neck of the paddy plants. Although harvesting continued during the last three days, nearly half of the crop still remains in the fields,” he said.
He said almost all paddy in the district has matured and harvesting can resume once water recedes.
“The extent of damage can be assessed after the rain stops. Some losses are likely,” he added.
The official also warned that rotting straw could create a shortage of animal feed in the coming weeks.
Rajarhat Agricultural Weather Observatory Officer-in-Charge Subal Chandra Sarkar said the district recorded 183 millimetres of rainfall until 6am on Wednesday, the highest in the past five years.
Rainfall measured 115 millimetres until 6am on Thursday, he added.
