Early floodwater is steadily raising the Baral, Gumani and several other rivers in Pabna, submerging paddy in low-lying parts of Chatmohar and Bhangura upazilas. At the same time, a shortage of seasonal workers around Eid has left farmers in trouble as they rush to bring the crop home.

Farmers said that as the Jamuna rose, water was suddenly rising in the Baral, Chiknai, Gumani, Atrai and Handial Kata rivers and various beels in the upazila. Ripe iri-boro paddy on low-lying land has gone under water, leaving them worried.

They said the water was rising every day with runoff from upstream and heavy rain. With seasonal workers gone home for Eid, there is a labour shortage, and farm workers cannot be found even for Tk 1,200 to 1,400. Farmers are suffering heavy losses as crops rot under water.

Farmers were seen wading into the water to cut paddy in Dibgari, Diyalgari and Miyapara of Handial, Siddhinagar, Darappur, Sthal, Nabin, Pakpara and Ninaichara unions in Chatmohar upazila, and in the Koyra, Toyra, Banshbaria, Batul, Ada Baria and Satbaria beels in Bhangura upazila. Some were carrying paddy from the beels to the road by boat or in specially made polythene boats, working day and night to save their crop from the floodwater.

Nasir Uddin, a farmer from the Handial Siddhinagar area, said he had grown boro paddy on 12 bighas this year and the yield had been good. "But the sudden flood is ruining the paddy in the field. Usually the land gives 20 maunds a bigha, but now it will not give more than 10 to 15 maunds a bigha," he said.

Tarikul Islam, a farmer from the same area, said they had planned to enjoy Eid and then harvest. "But the early flood swamped the land and all the joy of Eid is gone. We had to cut paddy in the water even on Eid day. Workers were available before Eid, but in this emergency we cannot find them even for Tk 1,200 to 1,400," he said.

Three and a half of Manik Mia's five bighas of paddy have gone under water. He is trying to cut the submerged paddy somehow, leaving the straw behind. He said more than half of the farmers' paddy was still in the field, and if the water kept rising they would face heavy losses. Because most farmers cannot cut the straw, there could also be a shortage of cattle feed, he said.

Farmer Akter Hossain said he had grown paddy on four bighas this year. Because of the flood, the cost of cutting, threshing and carrying the crop will rise to Tk 14,000 to 15,000 a bigha, while whatever yield there is, good or bad, is being ruined. Altogether he fears a loss of Tk 5,000 to 6,000 a bigha.

According to the agriculture department, paddy was grown on 9,213 hectares in Chatmohar upazila, of which 2,200 hectares of low land were under iri-boro. In Bhangura upazila, paddy was grown on 7,075 hectares, including 450 hectares of low land. The upazila agriculture officer said harvesting was complete on most of this land, and where water had entered the rest there had been no submergence or significant damage.

Chatmohar upazila agriculture officer Md Jasim Uddin said paddy had been harvested on about 70 to 80 per cent of the land in the upazila. A list of the farmers who have suffered losses is being prepared, and efforts are under way to bring them under incentive support, he said.

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