A farmer with a grief-stricken face looks at his maize field, devastated by a storm and heavy downpour. The photo was taken in Dhaperhat area of Rangpur district- FE Photo RANGPUR, May 10: Peasants in different areas of the Rangpur agriculture region have become disheartened as a nor'wester accompanied by hailstorms has wreaked havoc on a large number of maize fields across the region during the past a couple of weeks.
In addition, prolonged heavy rainfall over the past week has added to the woes of the growers.
It is learnt, the damage came as a severe blow for the cultivators, who have already suffered a massive loss from potato cultivation.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Rangpur official sources, the farmers of the region cultivated maize on 1,26,925 hectares of land in five districts under the region. The districts belonging to the region are Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari and Gaibandha.
Visiting different areas of the region, the FE correspondent found that vast tracts of maize fields had been flattened owing to the violent storms, with crops getting damaged extensively across the area.
A number of cultivators told said that they had hoped to earn a good profit this season to recover the losses they incurred from potato cultivation this year. However, their hopes of having a bountiful yield were shattered as devastating natural
calamities like nor'wester, hailstorm, and continuous heavy downpour have ruined the maize fields in many areas of the region, making the growers apprehensive about the expected yield of the crop.
Some poor and marginal peasants told The Financial Express that they had borrowed money at a high interest rate from lenders and NGOs to cultivate the crop. But now they have become concerned about repaying their loans.
Mizanur Rahman , a maize cultivator of Dhaperhat area in Rangpur Sadar upazila, told The Financial Express that he cultivated maize on around two bighas of land this season with the hope to recover from the losses he suffered in potato cultivation.
He said, for him, the spoilage was upsetting as more than 50 percent of his crop was damaged by storms and downpour. Expressing disappointment, Sabul, another maize
cultivator in the Helencha area of Mithapukur upazila in Rangpur district, told The Financial Express that he had cultivated maize on around one bigha of land this season.
He was delighted to see the well-grown mature maize plants, but nor'wester, heavy downpour, as well as hailstorm wreaked havoc on most of the plants. He has become almost a pauper now, he lamented.
Md. Sirajul Islam, Additional Director of the DAE in the Rangpur region, said that maize fields in some areas under the region have been affected by natural disasters, which is a common phenomenon. He said they are preparing a list of the affected farmers.
A list of the affected growers will be sent to the higher authorities so that the affected farmers can get government support.
He added that growers are being given necessary advice and support to combat the adverse situation.
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