Farmers in Sunamganj suffer badly every year from repeated natural disasters. This year three floods have damaged crops and broken homes, leaving farmers along the haors in dire straits. But despite losing everything, they are now busy in the fields trying to recover, planting the crops they dream of once again.

Inquiries show that Sunamganj's farmers have to battle floods and natural disasters, because the area's farming and economy are hit by floods again and again. This year too, three floods caused extensive crop damage in Sunamganj. For now, farmers along the haors are busy trying to make up the losses.

Arshad Ali, a farmer in Korban Nagar union of Sadar upazila, said crops are damaged by floods every year, and this year the losses were heavy too. "But we get no help of any kind from the agriculture department. Now we are borrowing at high interest to grow crops again," he said.

It is not only Arshad Ali: about 3 lakh farmers in Sunamganj's 12 upazilas are working hard from dawn to dusk to plant Aman paddy and make a fresh start. Some are planting paddy, others are clearing debris left in the fields. If farmers can bring this paddy home, their debt burden will ease and they will be able to repair flood-damaged homes and recover.

Matlab Ali, Jamir Hossain and Chhamir Mia, farmers from remote parts of the haor, said that although floods damage their crops every year, they get no help from the agriculture department. They also have to buy fertiliser and seed at higher prices to grow Aman now.

According to Sunamganj's agriculture department, the transplanted Aman target in Sunamganj this year is 83,300 hectares. Paddy has already been planted on 55,000 hectares, from which 2 lakh 14 thousand tonnes of rice are expected.

Bimal Chandra Som, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Sunamganj, said: "We are constantly in the field advising farmers, and we are monitoring to make sure farmers can buy fertiliser and seed at fair prices. If there is no further natural disaster this year, farmers will be able to harvest transplanted Aman worth about Tk 1,000 crore."

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