Sugarcane farmers in Tangail are facing heavy losses as a suspected viral disease causes crops to rot in the fields just before maturity.
Favourable weather had raised hopes of a good harvest this season, but the disease has damaged field after field across the district. Department of Agricultural Extension data show that sugarcane has been cultivated on about 465 hectares this year.
Farmers said the stalks were rotting, while surviving plants were failing to grow properly. Sugarcane is now selling for a maximum of Tk20 apiece, compared with Tk30 to Tk50 last year, leaving growers with an estimated loss of about Tk30 on each cane.
The Ishwardi variety, locally known as pochadana, has suffered the most extensive damage. In some fields, farmers said, hardly any healthy plants remain.
Sultan Kabir, an affected farmer, alleged that the situation worsened because growers did not receive timely treatment advice or necessary pesticides despite informing local agriculture officials.
Another farmer, Ramzan Ali, said many growers had borrowed money to cultivate sugarcane and were now worried about repaying their debts after losing their crops.
Abu Hanif of Kharjana village cultivated sugarcane on 10 decimals of land at a cost of around Tk15,000. He said the remaining crop might fetch only Tk10,000 before marketing expenses.
Farmer Dabir Uddin said he harvested around 2,400 canes from 33 decimals last year and sold them for Tk1.10 lakh after spending Tk50,000. This year, the number has fallen to about 1,200 because of the disease.
Affected farmers have sought emergency government assistance, compensation through farmer cards and immediate measures to contain the disease.
Tangail Department of Agricultural Extension Additional Deputy Director Md Shoaib Mahmud said officials had received reports of virus-related problems in some areas and were investigating the affected fields.
He said farmers were being advised and necessary measures would be taken after determining the cause and extent of the damage.
