Floods destroy crops worth Tk 13.23b in Bangladesh

An estimated Tk 13.23 billion worth of crops have been lost in the three waves of flooding that hit Bangladesh this year, according to Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque.

Natural calamities such as storms, flash floods and landslides have caused serious damage to the cultivation of various crops across the country, while vast swathes of agricultural lands have been inundated, he said in a media briefing at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

"The Ministry of Agriculture made extensive preparations as soon as the flood forecast was received. Everyone, including field officials, was alert. Farmers were given the necessary advice to reduce the damage to crops."

"In total, crops worth Tk 13.23 billion across 37 districts were damaged by the floods. About 257,148 hectares of cropland were submerged, while crops on 158,814 hectares of land were destroyed," he added.

Over 1.2 million farmers have been affected by the floods, reports bdnews24.com.

The losses include Aus paddy worth Tk 3.34 billion on 32,213 hectares of land, Aman paddy worth Tk 3.60 billion on 60,620 hectares of land and Aman seedbed on 7,917 hectares of land, according to the minister.

Besides, vegetables worth Tk 2.35 billion and jute worth Tk 2.11 billion were also damaged by the floods, he said.