Bumper Boro hopes dashed as nor’westers damage Cumilla farmlands

Torrential rain, accompanied by intermittent heavy wind, has left a trail of destruction across Cumilla, submerging thousands of hectares of farmland across all 17 Upazilas of the district.

The sudden natural disaster has sparked deep concern among farmers who were in the middle of the harvest season.

According to Mizanur Rahman, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Cumilla, the primary assessment indicates significant damage to various crops.

He reported that 1,733 hectares of paddy fields have been submerged.

In addition, 550 hectares of maize have been damaged, he said.

Summer vegetables have been affected across 364 hectares, while 235 hectares of Aus seedbeds have been completely destroyed.

While all 17 Upazilas reported damages, the officials identified Laksam, Daudkandi, Nangalkot, Debidwar, and Muradnagar as the worst-hit areas.

In Monohargonj, the storm struck just as the Boro harvest was reaching its peak.

Locals described a scene of chaos as the festive atmosphere of threshing and drying grain turned into a desperate salvage operation.

"Farmers were celebrating a bumper yield, but the rain has ruined the quality of the ripened paddy. Now we are terrified of not getting a fair price," said Abul Kalm Azad, a local resident.

Shahadat Hossain, a farmer from Munshirhat village, echoed these fears, noting that the suddenness of the storm left them no time to protect the crops lying in the fields.

Local agricultural offices have been deployed to advise farmers on saving the remaining crops and draining water from submerged fields.

Monohargonj Upazila Agriculture Officer Golam Sarwar Tushar said they had previously issued advisories based on weather forecasts, urging farmers to harvest quickly.