Four days of continuous rain and moderate storms have caused extensive crop damage in Meherpur, with ripening aus paddy and vegetables worst affected.

The rain and moderate storms began on Friday afternoon and continued until Monday evening. Crops on low-lying land have gone under water. Vegetable plants have begun to die in waterlogged fields, and chilli fields have been badly damaged. Farmers who had not yet harvested their aus paddy are also in deep trouble.

Aman paddy in low-lying areas has also been submerged. Farmers say sudden heavy rain in this district, which had seen little rain for several years, is causing extensive crop damage.

Farmer Zahidul Islam said he has aus paddy on one and a half bighas and could not harvest it during four days of continuous rain. If this continues a few more days, he will face a big loss.

Vegetable farmer Milon Hossain said his 10-katha chilli field has been flattened by four days of continuous rain and water has collected in it. If the rain continues like this, the whole field will be ruined.

Farmer Jabbarul said knee-deep water has collected in his brinjal field after several days of rain. If it continues a few more days, the field will be completely ruined.

Farmer Arshed Ali said he has summer onions on one bigha, and knee-deep water has collected in the field. If the rain continues, the whole onion field will be ruined and he will suffer a big loss.

The Met office said a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal and the monsoon had brought rain and storms to all districts of Khulna division, including Meherpur.

Bijoy Krishna Haldar, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Meherpur, said three days of continuous rain had affected crops on 4,225 hectares, including transplanted aman, and the figure could rise. Chilli fields have suffered the most damage, followed by summer onions.

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