A sudden storm has damaged 53 hectares of banana and papaya plantations in Madhupur upazila of Tangail, leaving hundreds of farmers facing heavy losses.
The storm, which lasted only a few minutes on Wednesday, caused widespread damage to banana, pineapple, papaya and vegetable gardens in the hilly areas of Sholakuri, Phulbagchala, Aronkhola, Bhutia and Kuragacha.
According to preliminary estimates by the Madhupur upazila agriculture office, around 27 hectares of banana plantations and 26 hectares of papaya gardens were damaged in the five areas. The extent of the damage may increase as officials are still assessing losses to pineapple and vegetable gardens.
Farmers said they had invested significant amounts of money, labour and time in their plantations, with many expecting to harvest their crops soon. Some had invested their savings or borrowed money to cultivate bananas, pineapples and papayas.
The sudden storm, however, put their investments at risk within minutes. They fear it will be difficult to recover without prompt government assistance.
Abu Sayem Hossain, a farmer from Harindhara village, said, “I invested nearly half of my life’s savings in pineapple and banana plantations. I hoped a good harvest would help meet my family’s needs. But the sudden storm destroyed everything within moments.”
Another farmer, Shah Alam, said the loss of a banana tree represented more than just the value of the tree, as it also meant losing the labour, investment and borrowed money behind it.
He urged the authorities to prepare a full assessment of the losses and provide affected farmers with financial assistance and necessary agricultural advice.
Madhupur Upazila Agriculture Officer Momtaz Begum said 27 hectares of banana plantations and 26 hectares of papaya gardens were preliminarily estimated to have been severely damaged in the affected areas.
“Officials are collecting detailed information on the ground to assess the full extent of the damage,” she said.