Recouping flood-hit crops ‘uncertain’

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Yasir Wardad | Published: August 29, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: August 28, 2014 23:53:23

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Recouping large portion of the flood-hit crops, including the standing Aman plants, has become uncertain as flood forecasters have ruled out any possibility of improvement of the condition immediately.     
According to Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), nearly 0.117 million hectares of crop areas, largely Aman fields in 14 districts, have been inundated.
The agriculturalists have expressed their fear that 80 per cent of the flood-hit crops might be damaged unless the waters recede within 3-4 days.  
Experts said it could not be recovered also by re-plantation as it may cause significant reduction in output.
Agriculture and water development officials said floods have caused inundation of  parts of Rangpur, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Lalamonirhat, Gaibandha, Bogra, Sirajganj, Rajbari, Shariatpur, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Netrakona, Sunamganj and Moulvibazar districts and there is no possibility that flood waters will recede in next five to six days.
DAE deputy director in Kurigram district, the most affected district in the country, Prodip Kumar Mandal said nearly 31,000 hectares of land have gone under water since August 16 afternoon.
He said 70-80 per cent crops will be damaged if the water prolongs for next three or four days.
DAE deputy director of Netrakona district Samir Kumar Sarker said 10,000 hectares of Aman fields have been under water for last 12 days. "Crops at nearly, 8,000 hectares of the affected area may witness severe damage," he said.
"We have told farmers to plant BR-23 variety of rice after going down of water as it is a late variety of Aman," he said.
DAE deputy director in Sherpur district Suvash Chandra Debnath said nearly 3,020 hectares went under water until Thursday.   
However, DAE officials in different districts told the FE over cell phone that more than 20,000 hectares of land has been inundated  in Jamalpur, 3,079 hectares in Gaibandha, 6,000 hectares in Borga, 7,000 hectares in Sirajganj, 29,000 hectares in Sunamganj, 5,000 hectares in Moulvibazar and 3,000 hectares in Munshiganj, Madaripur and Shariatpur districts.
Meanwhile, executive engineer at the Flood Forecasting & Warning Centre (FFWC) under the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) MD Amirul Hossain told the FE that there was no possibility of water going down in most of rivers in next 4-5 days.
"We are just expecting that water of the Padma river may reduce in Goalanda and Bhagyakul points in next few days," he said.
"Water in the Brahmaputra and the Jamuna may take another 10-12 days to go beyond the danger mark (DM)," he added.
According to the FFWU updated data Thursday evening, the Teesta, the Jamuna, the Brahmaputra and the Padma were flowing above DM by 17 to 74 cm in different districts.
The river Meghna was about to touch the DM at Bhairab and Chandpur, the FFWC map showed.
The Kangsa river at Durgapur upazila in Netrakona was flowing above DM by 1.0 metre, it said.        
DAE deputy director Md Rafiqul Hasan told the FE that they are going to make surviving seed beds at 100 hectares of land to supply plants to farmers.
He said 50 per cent of Aman plantation has been completed and it will continue until September 30.
He said the actual figure of the damage of crop fields will be given in next ten to twelve days with the going down of water.   
He, however, informed the FE that the country targeted to get 13.4 million tonnes of rice from 5.64 million hectares of land in Aman season.
The output was nearly 13.0 million tonnes in FY '14 from Aman season.
Agriculture scientist Dr M A Sobhan said overall Aman output may be reduced by 2.0 per cent if 70-80 per cent of the inundated Aman fields are damaged.
He said late Aman cultivation may also cause reduction in per hectare yield.
He suggested that farmers should have to grow seasonal winter vegetables in the damaged fields to recoup the losses. The government should declare the affected districts as emergency areas soon to safeguard the farmers and their livelihoods, he added.