Hail fell for two to three minutes around midnight on Tuesday in Nalitabari upazila of Sherpur, laying aman rice plants flat in Kalaspar, Jogania, Marichpuran and other areas. Farmers are most worried about fields where the grain had begun to ripen. The same night, gusty wind and hail damaged aman rice and potatoes in Mithapukur and Pirgachha upazilas of Rangpur.
Abdul Motaleb of Pipuleshwar village in Kalaspar union grew rice on seven acres, and plants on about six of them have bent to the ground. Abdul Barek, from the same area, had aman on four and a half acres that would have been ready to cut in a few weeks; almost all of it is now lodged. He said he lives all year on what his rice brings. Azahar Ali of Marichpuran said Tulshimala and Chinishail rice had gone down in his area, and Monir Mia of Jogania lost about two acres to lodging.
According to the upazila agriculture office, aman was planted on 23,230 hectares in Nalitabari this season. Upazila agriculture officer Moshiur Rahman said some plants were flattened in Kalaspar, Jogania and Marichpuran, but because the hail lasted so briefly there was no significant loss. If no fresh rain falls, he said, the bent plants should not suffer much.
In Hamidpur village of Balua Masimpur union in Mithapukur, Mahmudul Hasan had aman on two bighas. The crop looked good, and he had hoped it would make up for his potato losses, but the storm left every plant lying on the ground. In Pirgachha, the char areas of Tambulpur and Chhaola unions took the worst of the hail, which damaged both stems and panicles. Amjad Hossain of Pratipal Bogurapara in Tambulpur said rice and potatoes suffered most.
Hail also fell at about 11:30 pm that night in Kurigram Sadar and Rajarhat. Samsul Haque, an aman grower in Panchgachhi union, said several bighas of his rice had begun to ripen and he fears heavy losses. Manik Chowdhury, a resident of Kurigram town, said he had not seen hail like it in 30 years.
Farmers said they never expected hail in late autumn, with winter coming on. Farming is already expensive, Monir Mia said, and if they cannot bring the crop home they will be left with a loss. The reporting is by Samakal's correspondents in Nalitabari, Kurigram and Mithapukur.
Photo: Ayman Nakib Badhan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Samakal
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