Floods damage Tk 7bn worth of crops in Bangladesh’s hilly southeast

Bandarban suffered the most devastation with damage to crops worth Tk 3.1 billion

The worst floods in living memory in Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar and the three hill tracts districts have caused damage worth Tk 7 billion to crops, according to agriculture officials.

Bandarban suffered the most devastation with damage to crops to the tune of Tk 3.1 billion.

The damage in Chattogram is worth Tk 1.84 billion, Cox’s Bazar Tk 1.11 billion, Rangamati Tk 610 million and Khagrachhari Tk 110 million.

Heavy rain and flash floods damaged crops on over 50,000 hectares of land in Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Feni and Lakshmipur under the Chattogram region of the Department of Agricultural Extension.

The devastating floods completely destroyed crops on 17,745 hectares of land in the region.

The damaged crops include paddy, seedbeds and autumn vegetables.

The DEA’s Chattogram zonal office said the floods affected more than 190,000 farmers in the region.

In Chattogram district’s Satkania, the farmers lost 75 percent of their crops worth Tk 270 million.

Amir Hossain, a farmer at Keochia in Satkania, said he planted paddy on 1.7 hectares of land and prepared a seedbed on a 1.45 hectare land, but the flood destroyed all.

Arbindo Kumar Roy, additional director at DAE’s Chattogram zonal office, said they wrote to higher authorities for incentives for the affected farmers so that they can prepare seedbeds for the next season.

“But it appears to be impossible now. We’ll arrange incentives for the farmers in winter,” he said.

He also believes overall the crops will not be affected much as three out of 48 Upazilas in the zone suffered extensive damage.

Hill tracts districts Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari are under Rangamati zone of the DAE.

Tapan Kumar Paul, DAE additional director for the zone, said all the Upazilas in Bandarban were affected by the floods that damaged paddy, ginger, turmeric, banana, fruits and vegetables also in Rangamati and Khagrachhari.

Sachin Thui Marma, a farmer in Bandarban’s Rowangchhari, said he cultivated papaya, cucumber, eggplant and other vegetables on a 0.40 hectare of land, but the floods washed away all.

The average normal rainfall in Chattogram Division is 553 millimetres in August.

But this year, Bandarban experienced 1,063 millimetres of rainfall in the first nine days of the month, Chattogram 727 mm, Cox’s Bazar 411 mm, and Rangamati 662 mm.