Flooding damages early variety aman paddy

A farmer inspects the condition of the flood-damaged aman paddy plants at his field at Sindura village in Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat.Photo: STAR

Early variety aman paddy on about 1500 bighas of land at different villages of five upazilas has been damaged due to the recent flooding.
The affected farmers sought financial support from the government for replanting seedlings of the paddy on their lands.
Mozammel Haque, 48, a farmer of Sindurna village in Hatibandha upazila, said that the flood damaged the crop on his three bighas of land.
“Now I have no more seedlings left for replanting”, he said.
Saher Ali, 55, another farmer of the village, said aman paddy on his two bighas land submerged by the floodwater has also been damaged.
“The advanced variety of the paddy on my four bighas of land went under water due to early flooding this year”, said Jafor Ali, 45, of Gobordhon village in Aditmari upazila who borrowed money from a local NGO taking lease of the land.
“How will I repay the loan now?”, he posed.
Didarul Islam, 42, another victim of Kalmati village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, also said that he cultivated paddy on his one bigha land and he also had no seedlings for replanting.
Nurul Amin, acting deputy director of Lalmonirhat Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), said the cultivation of aman paddy will be started in full swing in the district in the first week of next month.
“A few farmers who lost aman due to the recent flood must get seedlings to replant on their land”, he asserted.