M’singh, Netrakona, Sherpur: Agriculture takes a hit from floods

The recent flash floods that marooned over 100,000 people in Mymensingh, Netrakona and Sherpur have left a trail of serious damage in the croplands of the three districts.
Official estimates suggest the floods damaged Aman paddy on over 83,000 hectares of land, affecting around 322,000 farmers.
In Mymensingh, 96,855 farmers were affected, according to Nasrin Aketr Banu, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE)in the district.
She said Aman crops on 25,795 hectares were damaged fully or partially in the district, including Dhobaura and Haluaghat upazilas.
The fish in some 10,800 ponds were washed away, and 6,875 fish farmers faced a loss of over Tk 50 crore, said District Fisheries Officer Mohammad Nazim Uddin.
Fish farmer Abul Kalam of Doshrarpar village in Haluaghat said the fish in his pond with a 50 decimal area were washed away in the flood.
Nurul Amin, a farmer of the same locality, said the floods destroyed Aman crops on his 4 hectares of land. He also lost fish worth Tk 200,000 in his 40-decimal pond.
The damage to the Aman paddy is irreparable this season as the time for fresh cultivation is over, lamented Sultan Mahmud, another farmer.
Mohammad Nuruzzaman, deputy director of DAE in Netrakona, said Aman crops worth Tk 313 crore on 24,667 hectares were damaged by the flash floods, especially in Kalmakanda, Durgapur, Purbodhala, Barhatta and Sadar upazilas.
Nearly 76,000 farmers were affected in the district, where vegetables on 177 hectares were also damaged, said the official.
Some 900 farmers lost fish worth Tk 8 crore in 1,500 ponds in the district, said Md Nazrul Islam, deputy director of Mymensingh divisional fisheries department.
Jalal Uddin, a fish farm owner in Barhatta, said the water level increased so fast that they did not get any time to protect their fish enclosures.
Anwar Hossain of Kalmakanda upazila said he faced a loss of Tk 25 lakh as the fish in his three ponds were washed away.
Sukalpa Das, deputy director of DAE in Sherpur, said Aman crops on 33,000 hectares of land were destroyed by the floods. This accounts for 33 percent of the total cultivated fields in the district. The damage affected some 150,000 farmers in the district. 
The floods washed away the fish in 7,366 ponds of around 4,500 farmers in Sherpur, especially in Nalitabari and Jhenaigati upazilas, said Pranab Kumar Karmakar, the district fisheries officer.
Primarily, the loss was estimated at Tk 70 crore, said the official.
Monoranjan Dhar, director of Mymensingh divisional livestock department, said this sector faced a loss of Tk 12.41 crore in Mymensingh, Sherpur and Netrakona.
Many poultry farms were flooded and deaths of poultry birds were reported in Mymensingh and Netrakona. Around 800-acre grazing fields in the districts were also flooded, said the official.
RELIEF
The floods affected over 200,000 people in Mymensingh, around 86,000 in Netrakona, and 150,000 in Sherpur. Some 55,000 indigenous families have also been affected by the floods in Sherpur and Mymensingh.
The Mymensingh district administration has so far allocated 63 tonnes of rice, Tk 700,000 cash, including Tk 300,000 for child food in Dhobaura, Haluaghat and Phulpur, said Azim Uddin, additional deputy commissioner of the district.
Md Ruhul Amin, the district relief and rehabilitation officer (DRRO) of Netrakona, said 65 tonnes of rice and Tk 600,000 were allocated in the district. Officials have distributed 600 packets of dry food as well.
Suchi Rani Saha, the DRRO of Sherpur, said they have distributed 29,000 packets of dry food and 12,000 packets of cooked food among the flood victims.
Different organisations of volunteers and political parties are also distributing relief.