Flood causes 278,000 tonnes of crop loss in N dists
Saturday, 13 September 2014
RANGPUR, Sept 12 (BSS): Farmers have incurred crop losses to the tune of over 278,000 (2.78 lakh) tonnes worth over Tk 5.87 billion (Tk 587 crore) following the recent flooding in eight northern districts along the Brahmaputra basin, official sources have said.
According to sources in the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), the recent flooding has damaged standing crops on 76,848 hectares of land affecting over 533,000 farmers in 39 upazilas of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Bogra, Sirajganj and Natore districts in the northern region this year.
The flooding has damaged T-Aman crops on 66,482 hectares of land affecting about 388,000 farmers and causing production losses to the tune of over 233,000 tonnes worth over Tk 4.96 billion in the districts.
Nearly 929 hectares of T- Aman seedbeds have been damaged. It has affected 36,396 farmers causing losses to the tune of Tk 2.321 million. It has also caused Aus crop loss to the tune of 11,793 tonnes worth Tk 325.5 million. The Aus crops on 4,647 hectares of land have been damaged affecting 41,488 farmers.
The flooding has also caused vegetable production losses to the tune of 27,583 tonnes worth Tk 465.8 million damaging crops on 1,931 hectares of land to the dismay of 37,626 farmers.
Nearly 5,579 tonnes of Buna Aman rice worth Tk 101.5 million have been damaged on 2,810 hectares of land leaving 28,642 farmers in trouble.
In addition, the flooding has caused loss of 177 tonnes of other crops on 49.2 hectares of land forcing 1,467 farmers to incur a loss of Tk 4.805 million in these districts.
The DAE and other agriculture-related organisations have already prepared seedbeds for late variety Aman paddy at different places for distributing those among the affected farmers from the next week to assist them in recouping the crop losses.
The DAE has prepared Aman seedbeds at Tazhat Agriculture Training Institute, Burirhat Horticulture Centre, Rangpur Regional Stations of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture in Rangpur.