Cyclone Remal caused crop losses worth Tk 508 crore 97 lakh 72 thousand in the coastal Barishal region alone, affecting nearly 173,491 farmers.

The figures come from a preliminary report by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) on overall agricultural damage from Cyclone Remal and the heavy rain of 26 and 27 May. Assessment of the damage in other regions, as in Barishal, is still going on.

According to the report, the cyclone initially affected agriculture in 48 districts. The worst hit were six districts of the coastal Barishal region (Barishal, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Patuakhali, Barguna and Bhola), four districts of the Khulna region (Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira and Narail), and Noakhali, Lakshmipur and Cox's Bazar in the Chattogram region.

The report says about 1,430,065 hectares of land are currently under standing crops, of which about 171,109 hectares have been affected.

The affected crops include 10,843 hectares of Aus seedbeds, 21,434 hectares of Aus land, 7,730 hectares of Boro paddy, 4,826 hectares of broadcast Aman, 52,190 hectares of summer vegetables, 29,749 hectares of jute, 7,536 hectares of sesame, 3,507 hectares of mung bean and 2,444 hectares of chilli.

Betel leaf on 7,058 hectares was also hit. Among fruits, 17,543 hectares were affected in all, including 4,708 hectares of mango, 1,575 hectares of litchi and 7,613 hectares of banana.

In the Barishal region, the preliminary figures show 54,564 hectares of cropland damaged, including 9,101 hectares of Aus seedbeds, 17,090 hectares of Aus, 2,419 hectares of mung bean, 17,247 hectares of vegetables and 3,473 hectares of betel leaf. The initial estimated loss is Tk 508 crore 97 lakh 72 thousand, and nearly 173,491 farmers have been affected.

Agriculture officials said that although the crops were hit, the water would prove a blessing for many of them, such as broadcast Aman, Aus and jute, if it drains away quickly. With the Boro harvest nearly finished and no rabi crops in the fields apart from some maize and groundnut, agriculture has been spared a far bigger loss, at least to some extent.

The rain will also benefit the coming Aman crop, they said. It will make land ready for cultivation, particularly in drought-prone areas, which will in turn help various vegetables and fruits. The agriculture department added that the true extent of the damage will be clear only once the rain stops and seven or eight days have passed.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.