This year's floods have brought a loss of around Tk700 million to farmers and fisheries in Gopalganj, and over Tk1 billion in losses to farmers in Tangail, according to district agriculture office sources.
In Gopalganj, Dr Arbindu Kumar Roy, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, said rivers in Gopalganj never crossed the danger mark, but there was still a lot of flooding. There are no longer enough wetlands for rainwater to drain into.
He said this has been responsible for the flooding in low lying areas of the district due to which croplands were damaged.
Farmers have incurred a loss of Tk200,070,000 with crops damaged by the floods on 1,198 hectares of land in five upazilas of the district, Dr Arbindu added.
Bishwajit Boiragi, a fisheries officer in the district, said 6,000 fish farmers lost around Tk500 million in fish washed away by the floods from 7,000 ponds.
20,000 people of 325 villages in five upazilas of Gopalganj are still stranded and marooned in the floods, according to sources at the district’s deputy commissioner’s office.
Latika Bagchi, 56, a woman from Ramnagar village in Kotalipara upazila said: "My fish got washed away from the ponds and the vegetable fields are ruined. All the vegetables in my yard are ruined. My family and I are suffering and there is an acute fodder crisis."
Nittananda Biswas, 65, a local from Machhbari village of the upazila said: "The floods have taken all our fish and vegetables. Houses and roads are inundated in standing water. It is a never ending cycle of suffering in this flood, even though we are receiving government relief through the UP chairman and the upazila administration."
Currently 120 shelter centres are operating in the district’s flood affected regions, where 120 families have taken refuge.
Tk690,000 in cash, 210 tons of rice, and 2,000 packets of dried food have been distributed until now in the district, confirmed Senior Additional Commissioner Md Al Maruf of the deputy commissioner's office.
In Tangail, this year's floods have caused a total loss of Tk1,410,257,000 to 107,391 farmers, according to the district's Department of Agricultural Extension.
Some farmers said that on the one hand there are the floods and on other hand there is the coronavirus, where both are causing them immense suffering.
Ahsanul Bashar, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Tangail said: "The crops were damaged being waterlogged for so long. The time and season is here for farmers to work on crops of the Nabi variety. Farmers can then recoup some of their losses. this.
"Initially, seedlings of the Nabi variety will be distributed among 4,000 farmers. Mashkolai lentil seeds and fertilizer will be distributed among 4,000 farmers while 8,000 farmers will be provided with vegetable seeds. Seeds will be planted with machines for 128 farmers in each upazila," said Ahsanul.
He added that the district's agriculture office has plans for mustard crops, Boro paddy, wheat, and maize, on a large scale so farmers can profit and get over their financial hardships.