Days of relentless rainfall and hill runoff have unleashed devastating floods across 43 districts in the country, claiming 56 lives and inundating around 140,000 hectares of cropland.
The disaster has severely impacted more than half a million farmers, raising concerns about food supply disruptions and mounting inflation in the coming months.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, around 0.14 million hectares of cropland had been submerged as of July 13. The damaged crops include Aus paddy, Aman seedbeds, summer vegetables, ginger, turmeric, papaya and other seasonal produce.
Agriculture experts warned that the extensive crop losses could disrupt food supplies in the coming months and add to inflationary pressures on food prices.
According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, the death toll reached 56 on Tuesday, with 39 others injured in flood- and landslide-related incidents.
Cox's Bazar bore the heaviest human cost with 31 fatalities, including 18 Bangladeshi citizens and 13 Rohingya refugees. Chattogram reported 15 deaths, followed by Bandarban (6), Rangamati (3), and Moulvibazar (1).
The seven worst-hit districts -- Khagrachhari, Rangamati, Bandarban, Cox's Bazar, Chattogram, Moulvibazar and Habiganj -- have witnessed widespread flooding across 59 upazilas, affecting 334 unions and 12 municipalities.
To accommodate displaced residents, authorities have opened 329 emergency shelters, currently housing 10,854 people.
Relief operations are continuing in the affected areas. Since July 7, the government has allocated Tk 17.5 million in cash assistance and 3,250 tonnes of rice for the seven hardest-hit districts, the ministry said.
Chattogram received the largest allocation, with Tk 6.5 million and 1,200 tonnes of rice, followed by Cox's Bazar (Tk 3.0 million and 450 tonnes), Rangamati (Tk 2.5 million and 500 tonnes), Khagrachhari (Tk 2.0 million and 400 tonnes), Bandarban (Tk 2.0 million and 400 tonnes), Moulvibazar (Tk 1.0 million and 200 tonnes), and Habiganj (Tk 0.5 million and 100 tonnes).
The floods have also caused extensive losses in the fisheries and livestock sectors, with combined damage estimated at Tk 3.99 billion.
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