Hailstorm ravages crops, homes in Dinajpur, thousands of farmers affected

A severe hailstorm coupled with a seasonal storm has caused extensive damage across four upazilas of Dinajpur district, destroying crops over thousands of hectares and damaging hundreds of homes, leaving farmers struggling to cope.

According to Department of Agricultural Extension, around 4,966 hectares of farmland were affected in Sadar, Fulbari, Chirirbandar and Parbatipur upazilas after an hour-long storm struck on Tuesday afternoon. 

Major crops including boro rice, maize, onion, garlic and mango suffered heavy losses.

The worst-hit areas include Eluari union in Fulbari upazila, where entire villages saw their crops wiped out and tin-roofed houses severely damaged by hailstones, rendering many homes unliveable. 

Fields of rice and maize were flattened, while trees such as palm and coconut were also badly affected.

Officials said field-level assessments are ongoing to determine the full extent of the damage. 

Agriculture department staff and local administration officials are collecting data directly from affected farmers, many of whom are reporting their losses.

Department of Agricultural Extension Deputy Director Md. Afzal Hossain said more than 6,300 farmers have already been identified as affected. 

He added that farmers whose crops were completely destroyed may be advised to plant early varieties of Aus rice as part of recovery efforts.

Meanwhile, the district relief and rehabilitation office reported that the intensity of the hailstorm was among the strongest in recent memory, causing significant damage to homes and businesses. 

Authorities are preparing detailed reports to be sent to the relevant ministry for assistance.

Local farmers said many had taken loans to cultivate their crops and now face uncertainty over how to recover from the devastating losses.

EHM/SH