Floods and labour shortage double blow to Boro farmers in Kishoreganj

Farmers report that even offering double the usual pay no longer guarantees a farmhand

As floodwaters swallow thousands of hectares of Boro paddy in Kishoreganj, farmers say they are facing a second crisis: a crippling shortage of labour that has driven daily wages to record highs.

Heavy rainfall and upstream runoff have submerged 9,045 hectares of cropland as of Sunday, affecting over 32,000 farmers, according to Sadikur Rahman, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

While 2,000 hectares were lost in just the last 24 hours, those with standing crops find themselves unable to bring in the harvest.

The sudden inundation has created a desperate scramble for help, pushing labour costs beyond the reach of most small-scale cultivators.

Farmers in hard-hit Upazilas like Mithamoin and Itna report that even offering double the usual pay is no longer enough.

“Most of my crops are underwater. For what’s left, I can’t find any workers even by offering Tk 2,000 a day,” said Bachchu Mia, a farmer from Gopdighi village in Mithamoin.

Waterlogging has rendered combine harvesters useless in many fields, forcing a reliance on manual labour that isn't available.

Water Development Board (WDB) Executive Engineer Sazzad Hossain noted that while the Dhanu, Baulai, Magra, and Kalni rivers remain below the danger mark, they continue to swell.

Jashim Uddin from Itna’s Jaysiddhi village explained that the lack of sunlight means the little paddy that was harvested cannot be dried, causing it to rot in the rain.

The DAE had high hopes for the season, with Boro cultivated on 168,360 hectares across the district.

While 59 percent of the total crop has been harvested, the fate of the remaining 104,581 hectares in the Haor regions are now uncertain.