The government will give free seed and fertiliser to help farmers hit by recent heavy rain and hill run-off get back on their feet. It will also supply dry feed for livestock in flood-hit areas and launch a mass vaccination programme to prevent disease.

Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, told journalists this after an inter-ministerial meeting on the flood disaster at the Secretariat on Tuesday, 14 July.

Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief M Iqbal Hossain, State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad and Disaster Management and Relief Secretary Md Saidur Rahman Khan were present.

The agriculture minister said Aman seedbeds had suffered most in the ongoing floods. In many areas the rice seedlings have gone under water, so farmers will have to prepare to plant again. But since Aman has not yet been transplanted on a large scale, the risk of major crop loss is relatively low.

He said union-level officers of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) are collecting field data round the clock. The Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and other bodies have been told to be ready to prepare alternative seedbeds quickly in affected areas.

The minister said the government would produce seed under its own management and distribute it to farmers as soon as the water recedes. Replanting will be ensured with rice varieties suitable for transplanting up to 15 August. Affected farmers will receive free seed and fertiliser according to their needs.

Asked whether cash support would be given, he said the focus for now was on supplying seed and fertiliser to farmers. An additional support package would be considered later if necessary.

Raising the shortage of animal feed, the agriculture minister said the floods had caused extensive damage to straw, grass and fodder, so dry feed would be supplied for cattle and goats in affected areas.

He added that the risk of various livestock diseases rises during the monsoon and floods. In particular, instructions have been given to vaccinate all livestock in affected areas quickly against foot-and-mouth disease.

On losses in the fisheries sector, the minister said the embankments of many ponds had broken in the flash floods and fish had been washed away. A list of affected fish farmers is being prepared, and the government will take the necessary steps to help them.

Asked about the total loss to agriculture, Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid said a full account was not yet available and field data were still being collected. It will take a few more days to prepare a detailed picture of losses in agriculture, local government and other sectors.

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