Standing crops on 11,006 hectares of land submerged under floodwater during the current deluge in 19 affected upazilas of four districts out of total five in Rangpur Agriculture region.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said there is a less possibility of submergence of more standing crops during the current phase of the deluge and the situation continues improving with recession of floodwaters since Wednesday.
The submerged crops include standing Aush rice on 1,622 hectares of land, Aman rice seedbeds on 619 hectares, jute on 7,304 hectares, vegetables on 914 hectares, pepper on 105 hectares, groundnut on 21 hectares, maize on 25 hectares, ‘Tiil’ on 296 hectares, ‘Kaun’ on five hectares and ‘Cheena’ on 95 hectares of land.
“The total submerged crops include on 37 hectares of land in Rangpur, 3,552 hectares in Gaibandha, 7,334 hectares in Kurigram and on 83 hectares of land in Lalmonirhat with no submergence in Nilphamari district of the region.
The submerged crops on 11,006 hectares of land constitutes 5.87 percent of total standing crops on 1,87,218 hectares of land in these five districts of the agriculture region.
Officials of DAE and other agriculture related departments, organisations and institutions are visiting the affected areas and suggesting ways to affected farmers to overcome the situation after recession of floodwaters from their submerged crop lands.
President of Jatrapur Union Federation of RDRS Bangladesh farmer Abdul Jabbar in Kurigram Sadar upazila said floodwaters of the river Dharla has submerged standing Aman rice seeds and vegetables of around 35 farmers in low-lying areas in the area.
Farmers Md. Selim of village Baddhaganj and Abdul Quddus of village Rasulpur in Konchipara union of Fulchhari upazila in Gaibandha today said they were harvesting their submerged jute plants in low-lying char villages to reduce crop losses.
While visiting flood-hit areas near the Balashi Ghat on the Jamuna riverbed in Fulchhari upazila of Gaibandha, Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Muhammad Ali discussed the crop submergence situation.
“We are suggesting farmers for preparing Aman rice seedbeds again as there is enough time for transplantation of the rice seedlings and early variety vegetables for cultivation on their submerged croplands after recession of floodwaters,” he said.
All of the submerged standing crops will not be damaged and some of those will suffer partial damage if floodwaters receded in three to four days.
But submerged crops on some other lands will be damaged if the flood situation prolonged, he said.
The final report of partial and total crop damages would be available from affected areas after recession of floodwaters from all over the agriculture region.
“The government is planning to assist flood-affected farmers in recouping crop losses by extending necessary assistance, inputs and incentives for cultivating other substitute crops after recession of floodwaters,” Ali added, reports BSS.