Tk 135cr crops damaged in Moulvibazara
Untimely flood, waterlogging main reasons
Crops worth about Tk 135 crore have been damaged due to untimely flood, onrush of water from hills and prolonged waterlogging in six upazilas of the district.
According to the district Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) office sources, water logging is still a problem in Hakaluki Haor and Kawadighi Haor areas.
Farmers of the haor areas could not cultivate aman paddy this year on about 17,290 acres of land in five upazilas due to water logging. Production of aman paddy will fall short of about 21,000 tonnes, the DAE source added.
Flood, onrush of hilly water and waterlogging in haor areas of the district were started from April this year. The government's food procurement drive has fallen well short of expectation due to this situation, official sources said.
The district food department has been able to procure only 172 tonnes of food grains (paddy and rice) against the target of 2756 tonnes during the current year, said Md Abdul Wahid, district controller of food (DC-Food).
"Usually farmers start preparing seedbeds of boro paddy from Bangla month of Kartik. But due to water logging in two haor belt areas, farmers cannot start preparing seedbeds" said Md Shahjada, deputy director of DAE, Moulvibazar.
According to the record of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) office, crops on 3,124 acres of land were inundated in Kulaura, Baralekha and Juri upazilas in the first week of April this year incurring a loss of about Tk 8.51 crore while crops on 16,462 acres were inundated in Moulvibazar sadar, Rajnagar, Kulaura, Baralekha and Juri upazilas in the second week of April incurring a loss of around Tk 61.28 crore.
Besides, standing aus, amon and vegetables have been damaged repeatedly in six upazilas in May and June. In May, aus crops of 7,341 metric tons on 5,797 acres of land in six upazilas were damaged, market price of which was Tk 12.47 crore.
During that time, vegetable of 484 acres and transplanted amon of 1,123 acres were also damaged. Total loss of these two crops has been calculated at about Tk 1.89 crore.
About 1,348 meric tons of crops amounting Tk 2.29 crore on 988 acres of land in Moulvibazar sadar and Rajnagar upazilas were damaged in the flood of June. Transplanted amon on 1,059 acres of land were inundated and 747 metric tons of amon paddy worth Tk 1.26 crore were damaged during this time.
Vegetables worth Tk 5.6 crore were also damaged in the district at this time. The DAE officials said they have calculated these losses according to market price of that time.
Fertilizers were distributed at free of cost among 7,860 aus farmers. Each of the farmers got 20 kg urea, 10 kg TSP (Triple super phosphate) and 10 kg MOP (Murat of potash), the deputy director said.
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