Continuous rainfall and the onrush of hilly water from upstream have caused water levels in rivers and haors to rise, submerging Boro crop lands in Netrokona.
Around 78,000 farmers in the haor and low-lying areas are facing immense losses, with damage to yields exceeding Tk373 crore.
Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Md Amirul Islam confirmed the matter.
While some have attempted to harvest a small portion of their hard-earned crop, the amount is negligible. As rivers, canals, and wetlands have filled with upstream water, the threshing floors used for drying paddy have also been submerged.
Consequently, paddy kept in heaps for long periods is rotting and spreading a foul stench across the haor area.
According to DAE, Boro was cultivated on a total of 1,85,547 hectares of land in the district. Due to excessive rain, 18,478 hectares have been submerged, of which 16,877.65 hectares of paddy have been completely damaged. The total production loss is 75,949.43 metric tonnes, with a financial value of Tk372 crore 15 lakh.
The total number of affected farmers in the district stands at 77,363.
In the haors specifically, out of 41,065 hectares of cultivated land, 11,230 hectares were submerged, and the amount of completely damaged land is 10,727 hectares. The production loss in the haors is 48,271.50 metric tonnes, valued at Tk236 crore 53 lakh, affecting 38,238 farmers.
When asked if a date for providing incentives had been set after preparing the list of affected farmers, Netrokona District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Md Ruhul Amin said lists are being prepared through the Upazila Administration and Union Parishads and will be completed by next Sunday or Monday.
He added that according to the list, affected farmers will be distributed Tk7,500, Tk5,000, and Tk2,500 in three categories, along with 20 kg of rice each for the next three months.
Regarding the government’s farmers card initiative, Khitish Sarkar, a farmer, said, “The paddy on my 15 katha of land has been submerged, I have harvested some and even then I cannot dry it due to lack of space. We, the haor farmers, have faced such massive losses for the first time since the 2017 floods.”
He noted that no official has contacted him yet to list affected farmers for the card.
