Rain causes Tk 131cr loss to Khulna fishery, agri sectors

KHULNA, July 19: Four consecutive days of heavy rainfall between July 9 and 12 caused an estimated loss of over Tk 130.5 crore to the fisheries and agricultural sectors in the Khulna region, according to primary assessments by the Department of Fisheries (DoF) and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

Director of Khulna Divisional DoF Md Zahangir Alam said the downpour affected 10 districts across the division, with the most damages reported in Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira. A total of 4,764 ponds, 2,808 dighis and fish enclosures were damaged in the division, he said, adding that the fisheries sector alone faced about Tk 126 crore losses, with shrimp farmers accounting for nearly 70 per cent of the total damage.

He, however, said that, of the total, white fish farmers incurred losses of Tk 73 crore, while Tk 15 crore in shrimp, Tk 9 crore in fish fry, and Tk 29 crore in crab and kuchia. Around 650 fish enclosures were affected in Dumuria, the country’s major shrimp farming hub, causing losses of about Tk 8.60 crore. Infrastructure damage was estimated at about Tk 6 crore, the official added.

Award-winning shrimp farmer Mahtab Hossain told The Daily Observer, “We have just started stocking shrimp fry, and the production cycle will continue for another six months. Recovering from this loss will take time.”

Meanwhile, Md Rafiqul Islam, additional director of the Khulna DAE, said crop losses in Khulna District were estimated at about Tk 14.5 crore, while 7,736 farmers were affected and around 180.3 hectares of cropland were damaged. Watermelon growers suffered losses estimated at Tk 6.5 crore, while damage to paddy and vegetable cultivation was assessed at about Tk 8 crore. Across Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira and Narail districts, agricultural losses were estimated at about Tk 14.5 crore. A total of 7,736 farmers were affected, and around 180.3 hectares of cropland sustained damage, with Aus paddy suffering the highest losses, followed by vegetables.

“Farmers would recoup from the damage very soon as water is receding from the land swiftly; side by side huge Aman seedbeds were kept by the farmers,” he said.

Momrez Ali, an owner of fish enclosures of Beel Dakatia under Teligati Mauza, said, “Two fish enclosures out of my three fish enclosures, covering an area of 65 acres, have been submerged. Fish worth about Tk 3.5 crore have been washed away due to heavy rainfall.”

Khulna Meteorological Office official Mizanur Rahman said the district recorded 424 mm of rainfall up to July 14 this year, compared with 360 mm during the same period last year.