RAJARHAT, KURIGRAM, June 24: Continuous rainfall and upstream rush of water have caused the Teesta River to swell, inundating vast char areas in Rajarhat Upazila of Kurigram and severely damaging peanut cultivation and other crops.
Farmers in several areas of the upazila reported significant losses as large tracts of cultivated land went under floodwater.
A visit to Burirhat area on Monday (June 22) found that peanut fields on the Teesta char had been submerged.
Farmer Anwar Hossain, 40, who cultivated peanuts on two acres of land, said he invested around Tk 2.06 lakh in the crop.
“Due to sudden rise in water, I could not harvest peanuts from about 30 percent of my land,” he said.
Another farmer, Momin Mia, 50, cultivated peanuts on 14 acres of land. He said he was unable to harvest crops from seven acres due to flooding.
He said the cost of cultivation was around Tk 1.05 lakh per acre, while average yield stood at 35 maunds per acre. At Tk 5,000 per maund, the market value per acre was estimated at Tk 1.75 lakh.
“For 14 acres, my total cost was Tk 14.7 lakh. I managed to harvest 245 maunds worth Tk 12.25 lakh. Overall, I have suffered a loss of around Tk 2.45 lakh,” he said.
In the Bijlir Bazar area, two brothers Ershad and Saiful cultivated peanuts on seven acres after taking loans. However, due to excessive water, they could not harvest a single crop and are now struggling with repayment of loans.
Shafiqul Islam of Teyab Kha Char cultivated peanuts on three acres, while Nur Alam cultivated on 2.5 acres. Both said they were forced to leave nearly half of their harvest in the fields due to floodwater.
Rajarhat Upazila Agriculture Officer Saifun Nahar Sathi said the situation is being closely monitored.
“A list of affected farmers is being prepared, and initiatives will be taken to bring them under incentive support programmes,” she said.
