Continuous rain and strong winds over the past several days have damaged vast areas of cropland in Dinajpur, flattening paddy fields and flooding potato and vegetable plots.
Farmers say the unseasonal weather has left them fearing major financial losses, while agricultural officials are assessing the damage.
According to the Meteorological Department, Dinajpur recorded 46 millimeters of rainfall in the 24 hours to Saturday morning, with wind speeds reaching up to 18km per hour.
The gusts struck on Friday night, bending and flattening ripening paddy plants across all 13 upazilas of the district.
In Cheradangi village under Auliapur Union of Dinajpur Sadar upazila, hundreds of acres of paddy fields, just days away from harvest, were left waterlogged.
“The paddy has fallen flat,” said Haider Ali, a local farmer.
“If this weather continues, we’ll lose what’s left. Even the fallen paddy won’t fetch good prices because its color and quality will deteriorate.”
Another farmer, Rabiul Islam, said pest attacks had already weakened the plants before the storm hit.
“Now they’ve all collapsed. There’ll be no harvest, maybe some of it can be used for cattle feed,” he said.
Mokarram Hossain of Nahitur village reported similar devastation.
“My entire 10 kathas of paddy are flattened. This is a huge blow for our families,” he said.
The impact extends beyond paddy.
Waterlogged potato fields are now at risk of seed rot, which could raise production costs significantly.
“I was hoping to recover from last year’s losses,” said Mozaharul Islam of Ulipur.
“But now the seeds are rotting underground.”
Farmer Tofayel Ahmed said efforts to drain the water were proving difficult.
“If the rain doesn’t stop, the seeds will rot and we’ll have to replant. Potato prices were low last year, and this year might be worse,” he said.
Moinuddin Ahmed of Ghughudanga village said both paddy and potato fields have been hit hard.
“This is the planting season, and such heavy rain now is unprecedented,” he said.
Officials from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said field-level assessments were underway.
Afzal Hossain, Deputy Director of the Dinajpur DAE, told Dhaka Tribune that around 581 hectares of paddy, 23.5 hectares of potato, and 22.5 hectares of vegetables have been affected so far.
“Our officers are helping farmers manage the situation. If this weather persists, the losses will increase,” he said.