Boro harvest at risk as floodwaters submerge haor fields
In the haor regions of northeastern Bangladesh Kishoreganj, Sunamganj, Netrokona, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, and Brahmanbaria thousands of farmers are losing their only annual Boro paddy harvest due to a combination of record rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, breached embankments, and an acute shortage of harvesting machines and labor.
Haor residents are worried about massive crop losses if the situation continues. Due to waterlogging and adverse weather conditions, farmers in the haor areas are unable to harvest their crops.
The rainfall has triggered early flash floods, and farmers in the region are still reeling from the 2017 and 2022 floods that destroyed almost all their Boro harvests.
Farmers were preparing to harvest Boro paddy in the haors, where rice was still swaying in the wind just three days ago. However, in many areas, the paddy fields have now been submerged due to three consecutive days of rain.
It has been learned from farmers that in the last three days, about 3,000 hectares of ripe Boro paddy have been submerged in parts of Itna and Mithamoin haors, including Khairpur-Abdullahpur and Adampur areas of Austagram Upazila. Farmer Kabil Miah came out of the paddy field in wet clothes.
Showing semi-ripe paddy in his hand, he said, “I tried to harvest it every day. How can I harvest paddy that is underwater? The paddy is turning black. The golden crop is being destroyed before my eyes I cannot bear it.” He then broke down in tears.
Hazrat Ali, a farmer from the same village, said that water enters the haor as soon as the upstream water level rises. Every year, waterlogging occurs in the Austagram area due to siltation of the Khowai River in the Shibpur area along the Habiganj border. Farmer Nazrul Islam said that seven acres of his nine acres of land have been submerged.
If the water level does not recede, the remaining land is also at risk of flooding. The roots of the rice plants have already begun to rot due to prolonged waterlogging.
Farmers were seen harvesting paddy in the Khairpur-Abdullahpur haor of Austagram Upazila. Paddy is being cut and transported to the banks by boat. Many are trying to harvest in difficult conditions by putting in extra labor. Some have even dived into the water as a last resort to cut rotten paddy and brought it up on rafts made of banana trees. In many fields, the paddy has been completely destroyed.
The crops that were supposed to be harvested within a few days are now underwater. Some farmers are harvesting while standing knee- or waist-deep in water, but many have already given up hope.
Ratan Miah, a farmer who had taken a loan from a moneylender and cultivated Boro rice on 10 acres of land in Abdullahpur haor of Austagram Upazila, lives with his 11 family members. He was seen sitting on the haor embankment crying yesterday afternoon after seeing his fields submerged.
Ratan Miah said, “Brother, what else can I say? My entire family is ruined. The golden paddy fields have been destroyed. I could have harvested the crop in four or five days, but I could not bring a single grain home. How will I support my family now?”
Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Kishoreganj, Dr. Sadiqur Rahman, said this afternoon that waterlogging has occurred in the haors of Austagram due to silt accumulation and disruption of river flow. It will take a few more days to assess the full extent of the damage.
He added that due to rain and storms from yesterday afternoon to this afternoon, along with the risk of lightning, farmers are unable to go into the fields. He said that if paddy remains submerged for 5-6 days, the damage will increase; however, if the water recedes earlier, the loss may be reduced.
Therefore, he instructed that 80 percent of the ripe paddy should be harvested immediately. The agricultural official added that about 48 percent of the paddy in the haor has been harvested so far.
Thousands of farmers like him have been affected by recent waterlogging caused by continuous rainfall in the haor areas. Locals believe this situation has arisen due to unplanned development, including elevated roads in the haor regions, river siltation, and the failure of embankments to protect crops.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Boro paddy has been cultivated on 4.55 lakh hectares in haor areas.
In Kishoreganj, Boro has been cultivated on 168,262 hectares of land, of which 14,535 hectares are in haor areas. The production target has been set at 1,295,029 metric tons of paddy, from which about 796,686 metric tons of rice are expected.
