50 lakh people need emergency agri aid: FAO

Around 10 lakh agricultural households in Bangladesh, representing nearly 50 lakh people, are projected to need emergency agricultural assistance between June and November 2026, according to the recent report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The number of households requiring emergency assistance has risen by 2 lakh since November 2025, FAO said in the report styled 14th round of “Monitoring Emergency Agriculture Support”. For the latest round of monitoring, FAO carried out month-long telephone interviews with 6,143 households across all 64 districts.

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The report, published on 25 August, measured need in two different ways, which point to different districts.

By total number of households in need of assistance, Chattogram had the most in the country, followed by Rangpur, Dhaka and Rajshahi -- these divisions have large farming populations, so even a smaller percentage in need adds up to a bigger headcount. Rangpur is the only division that ranks high on both counts.

By share of farming households affected, Sylhet, Mymensingh and Rangpur ranked highest -- in these divisions, a larger proportion of agricultural households are in need, even though the divisions are smaller.

Needs were most acute in river-system areas, Haor basins and flash-flood hotspots, the report said, pointing to flooding and waterlogging as the monsoon season intensified.

The households in need were disproportionately resource-poor smallholders. Of the households in need, 57 percent cultivated less than one hectare of land, and 60 percent fell into the least well-off wealth bracket.

Their reliance on casual farm labour, casual off-farm labour and low-capital self-employment further limited their ability to finance production or absorb shocks, the report said.

Economic shocks affected around 84 percent of the households in need, while exposure to natural hazards reached 16 percent -- six percentage points higher than the previous round.

Financial pressure remained evident with 67 percent reporting that they had to purchase food on credit, 66 percent reporting reduced health expenditures and 30 percent reporting reduced spending on agricultural inputs, it added.

Crop producers faced mounting difficulties with inputs, plant health and marketing. Compared to the FAO 13th round observations published last November, reports of plant disease rose by 30 percentage points and difficulty accessing fertiliser rose by 17 points.

Crop sales difficulties nearly tripled, from 9 percent in the previous round to 30 percent, mainly due to low selling prices.

Crop inputs remained the top assistance priority, cited by 72 percent of households in need.

Demand for cash assistance saw the sharpest rise, up 41 percentage points from November observations to 57 percent -- which FAO linked to the combined effects of monsoon floods, food inflation and falling household incomes.

Livestock feed and veterinary services were flagged as priorities by 51 percent and 33 percent of households respectively.

The report called for a seasonally timed package combining input support, cash assistance, animal healthcare and water-management support ahead of the Aman cultivation period.

According to an assessment by the agriculture ministry, more than 2.43 lakh farmers across 43 districts suffered losses from heavy monsoon rains between July 7 and 19. More than 1.34 lakh tonnes of crops, worth around Tk 478 crore, were damaged across 24,138 hectares of farmland -- about 3 percent of the more than 8.17 lakh hectares under cultivation.

Reacting to the FAO findings, Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid told The Daily Star that the government is taking immediate steps to support affected farmers and strengthen the country’s agricultural resilience.

He said the ministry had responded to damaged seedbeds and crops by providing seeds, seedlings, relief materials and alternative land for seed production.

He also pointed to the introduction of BRRI dhan 118, an early-maturing rice variety meant to help farmers in Haor regions avoid losses from early flooding, which can be harvested 10-15 days sooner than conventional varieties.

The minister added that the government plans to boost domestic production of summer tomatoes and green chillies through incentives and expanded cultivation, and is working with international companies to develop processing and export opportunities for these and other value-added agricultural products.

He said the initiatives aim to protect farmers from climate-related losses while also improving incomes and building stronger agricultural markets.

Abu Saleh Md Shamim Alam Shibly, research fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue, said the FAO report is not just showing a humanitarian crisis.

“It also highlights how poorly the existing agricultural subsidy and social protection systems are targeting those who need support most,” he said.

“The government needs to ensure that agricultural support reaches the farmers who need it most, particularly those without secure land ownership or financial buffers,” he added.