Flood-hit farmers in the country's 'haor' areas will get monthly financial assistance of Tk 7,500 each in the first phase, Agriculture Minister Mohammad Aminur Rashid said Monday.
The list of the farmers, who have been affected by the recent floods, is being prepared, he said.
Based on the extent of damage, some farmers may receive more than Tk 7,500, the minister said, adding that the financial support will continue for the next three months.
He made the remarks while talking to reporters after the third session of the second day of the DC Conference at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital.
At the conference, deputy commissioners (DCs) said despite a bumper potato harvest, farmers are not getting fair prices due to poor storage and marketing systems. They stressed the need for a long-term solution to such a problem.
In response, the agriculture minister said the government is working to cope with the situation through expanding the potato market and boosting its exports.
However, the farmers in northeastern haor regions are facing a deepening crisis as sudden floods, triggered by heavy rainfall, upstream hill water, and embankment breaches, have submerged vast areas of standing Boro paddy, sparking concerns over national food security.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), around 46,730 hectares of paddy fields across seven haor districts are now under water, accounting for more than 10 per cent of the 0.455 million hectares of cultivated 'Boro' land in the low-lying areas.
If the submerged crops cannot be harvested promptly, the country could face a production loss of over 0.20 million tonnes of rice, officials warned.
With water levels in major rivers continuing to rise, there are fears of prolonged inundation and further crop damage, they added.
A DAE assessment conducted between April 26 and May 2 revealed that most haor areas in Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Sunamganj, Netrakona, Kishoreganj and Brahmanbaria remained inundated.
On an average, 10.27 per cent of standing paddy crops in these districts are still submerged, with reports indicating ripe crops beginning to rot in waterlogged fields.
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