Rains damage crops, veggies on 765 hectares in Chandpur

Various types of standing crops including seasonal vegetables on 765 hectares of land were damaged in Chandpur by natural calamities like- incessant rainfalls and stormy weather hitting the entire district in recent time.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, from the union levels, the total damaged crops included Aus paddy on 600 hectares of land, transplanted Aman paddy seedlings on 27 hectares, vegetable on 105 hectares, betel leaf clusters on two hectares (in Haimchar upazila) and sugarcane fields on 31 hectares.

Loss of crops and vegetables in terms of money is estimated at Tk23.59 million (Tk2.36 crore). Affected farmers in the entire district will be 4,340.

During a recent visit, this correspondent found that numerous crop and vegetable fields in different areas were still lying under rainwater which remained stagnant due to improper drainage system.

A good number of farmers in Sadar, Matlab Dakshin, Hajiganj upazilas and a few other areas in Shahrasti, Faridganj, Haimchar, Kachua and Matlab Uttar upazilas narrated their plights to the FE. A few affected farmers - like Ruma Aktar and her husband Hanif Patwary of Shah Mahmudpur in Sadar, Ayyub Ali and his younger brother Masum of Larua village in Faridganj- are seen worried and in a dilemma as to how they will repay loans, taken earlier from various sources and NGOs as they have suffered much due to the calamity-induced damage to the crops and vegetables.

Shahrasti upazila is a low lying area upon being just beside the Dakatia River. So vast areas have been submerged by stagnant rainwater -said Upazila Agriculture Officer Ayesha Aktar.

A huge paddy field at Noorpur village in Kachua upazila was badly affected due to water- logging in the absence of a drainage system as the culverts were choked up by influential people for building houses damaging farmlands.

In Kachua upazila too, it was observed by the FE correspondent that a vast area comprising about 300 bighas of cropland ( paddy field) remained under rainwater for the past few days due to prolonged waterlogging resulting from unplanned construction of houses and multistory buildings by influential people at Noorpur village in Gohat Uttar Union under the upazila.

As a result, a good number of farmers are badly affected as their paddy saplings are getting rotten.

Talking to the FE, Upazila Agriculture Officer Md Mesbahuddin said he will visit the spot and try to solve the problem as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director of the DAE, Chandpur Abu Taher visited various affected places in Chandpur Sadar, Shahrasti and Hajiganj upazilas and talked to the farmers and advised them how to overcome the aftermath and ordeal due to the prolonged incessant rainfalls.

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