56,000 hectares of Aush damaged

Ongoing floods have so far damaged 56,000 hectares of the country's Aush paddy, Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said yesterday.

Of them, 22,000 hectares were damaged in Sunamganj and Sylhet alone, he told reporters after a meeting with Maldives High Commissioner Shiruzimath Sameer at the secretariat in Dhaka.

Other crops such as vegetables, sesame seeds and nuts have also been damaged, he said.

"If the flood does not prolong, it will be possible to make up for the damages," he said, adding that the government has already started taking extensive preparations to cover the loss.