THE Farmers of the flood-affected areas are on the threat of crop damage, especially low Aman yield, reported a national English daily. This is not just the woe of farmers because they cultivate our cereal and manage the food chain. The late monsoon flooding has already submerged hectares of croplands, spelling the farmers’ despair, ultimately results in a collapse of our food security and social sustainability. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said that extended flooding would further damage standing crops and affect more croplands as the Flood Forecast and Warning Centre (FFWC) said, flooding could continue into mid-September. Therefore, if the Agricultural Ministry fails to rehabilitate farmers by disbursing seeds, tools, and agro-apparatus after the recession of floodwaters, we fear it might cause a food crisis in the country.
The Aman saplings, seedbeds and other seasonal vegetables on some 160,000 hectares had been submerged till August 31 by the flooding caused by monsoon rains and the onrush of upstream water. Though farmers would be able to plant Aman seedlings until late-September, experts apprehended that the production costs would increase if the farmers were to plant seedlings twice for the season. The DAE said vast areas of croplands were affected by flooding particularly in Kurigram, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Sirajganj, Nilphamari, Jamalpur, Mymensingh, Rajbari, Shariatpur, Feni, Noakhali and Sylhet districts. The growers have transplanted Aman seedlings on about 80 per cent of a total 52.5 lakh hectares of the targeted T-Aman land in the 2014-15 crop year up to August 31, the DAE informed.
It is estimated that floodwater would continue receding over the next five days in the basins of Brahmaputra and Ganges but could rise again and the flood could last until mid-September. The Brahmaputra-Jamuna, Ganges-Padma and Meghna waters are likely to continue to fall in next three days while Padma water levels could start falling Tuesday, as forecasted. The floodwaters are receding but leaving its sign of devastation with muddied croplands, washed fish and shrimp enclosures, devastated vegetable gardens and so on. The flood-hit people without having adequate relief, medicine and certainty of shelters are living under the open sky and fighting with water-borne diseases.
For a successful agricultural rehabilitation, we ask the Agriculture Ministry to launch a package programme that includes supply of seeds, tillage equipment, low lift pump for irrigation, supply of fertiliser and loans to purchase agricultural inputs. To secure food supply intact and to better cope with the food security threat the Ministry ought to come up with a comprehensive policy so that the farmers could swiftly produce crops.
