Standing crops on 29,500 hectares of land and aman seedbeds on 1,229 hectares of land have been damaged due to heavy rainfall in Chittagong.
Farmers in 10 upazilas out of 14 in the district are counting heavy losses due to the damaged caused by flood water and rain created under the impact of Cyclone ‘Komen’.
Sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Chittagong said the torrential rain and onrush of hill water, triggered by the Bay depression, have inundated the aman seedbeds and croplands.
A total of 29,453 hectares of cropland have been submerged in the district.
Already, the rain water has been removed from some croplands but it will take more time to cultivate new crops in those lands, the DAE sources said. About 1,229 hectares of aman seedbed were damaged in the district during the recent flood, added the DAE sources.
Mohammad Aminul Haque Chowdhury, deputy director of DAE, said leave of all officials of the department in Chittagong region has been cancelled until further notice.
The farmers of the district are now busy making their lands cultivable and growing vegetables on their lands, he said. Vegetables will be available in the local markets in two-three weeks, he hoped. Besides, making aman seedbeds afresh and transplanting aman seedlings are going on simultaneously, he added.
The DAE sources said this year they set a target to produce 1.74 lakh tonnes of aman paddy in the district. The farmers of 10 upazilas including Banshkhali, Anwara, Patia, Lohagara, Boalkhali, Satkania, Mirsarai, Sitakunda, Rangunia and Raujan upazilas are counting heavy losses. The DAE officials are monitoring all things round the clock. They also hoped that they will be able to tackle the situation.
The DAE sources said target has been set to make the affected lands fit for aman cultivation by the end of the current month as the authorities concerned have taken steps to resolve water logging crisis in the district.
