Crops under water

Losses of standing crops feared in Rangpur, Gaibandha

With very little improvement in the flood situation, farmers are living on growing anxiety of huge losses as 1.29 lakh hectares of land have gone under water in 5 districts in the Rangpur region. Crops which remain in flood waters are Transplanted Aman (T-Aman) on 1.25 lakh hectares, Aman seedbed on 205 hectares, vegetables on 3,159 hectares, banana on 83 hectares and ginger on 5 hectares of land.

T-Aman is affected in the areas of Rnagpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari in Rangpur, affecting 21.69 % of total T-aman land. Kurigram claims most of

this crop’s land submerged with 53,013 hectares. Although flood tolerant rice of BRRI dhan51 and dhan52 stands on affected land of thirty thousand hectares, five non-flood tolerant types are in greatest threat with flood waters claiming around 1 lakh hectare land. The Department of Agriculture Extension targeted T-Aman from around 2 lakh hectares of land with production of 3.12 lakh tones of rice this year.

Flooding is covering land in these upazillas in descending order: Sundarganj, Gobindaganj, Saullapur, Sadar, Fulchhari, Shaghata and Palashbari. This is due to heavy rainfall, onrush of hilly waters and washout of flood control embankments.