Post-sidr Rehabilitation
5pc farmers in Patuakhali, 7pc in Barguna get govt assistance
Only five per cent Sidr-affected farmers in Patuakhali district have been brought under government rehabilitation programme. It is 7 per cent in Barguna, according to official sources.
The rest of the farmers who lost crops during Sidr are yet to get any help from government or any NGO.
According to Patuakhali district Agriculture Extension Department (AED), about 6 lakh farmers lost their Aman paddy and others crops in Sidr in the district.
Amon paddy was damaged on 2,40,447 hectares, vegetables on 18, 344, battle leaf on 4,562, banana on 16, 843, pulses on 14,800, papaya was damaged on 4,600 hectares in the district.
Of the affected farmers, only 33,500 got fertiliser and seeds 'in little quantities' under the government rehabilitation program, which is only five per cent of the total, AED officials said.
Each farmer got only 2 Kgs of pulse seeds, 135 grams of vegetable seeds, 200 grams of soybean seeds, 810 grams of urea fertiliser, 685 grams of TSP and 520 grams of MOP (Murate of Potash) under the program, said Md. Kafil Uddin Ahmed, Deputy Director (DD) of Patuakhali AED.
“We sought allotment of 22, 672 tonnes of fertilisers including 10,050 tonnes of urea but got only 14 tonnes in total”, he said.
“We also got only 120.37 tonnes of vegetable seeds against a demanded for 2,768 tonnes. We also demanded 72,000 tonnes of Aman and Aush seeds but are yet to be get any response”, another official said seeking anonymity.
The army distributed 24 power tillers and Brac, an NGO, distributed 30 power tillers and 35 pumps among farmers' groups comprising five members, sources said.
The demanded was for at least 500 power tillers and the same number of irrigation pumps, Kafil Uddin said.
“We received a letter on allocation of Tk 5.64 crore for Aush cultivation and Tk 22.50 lakh for battle leaf farmers”, he said.
In Barguna 1, 40,915 farmers lost their paddy and other crops but only 10,000 got government assistance under its rehabilitation program, which is only seven per cent of the affected people.
“We submitted an emergency estimate of Tk 5 crore for rehabilitation of farmers but the government allotted only 126 power tillers and Tk 30 lakh, which has already been distributed, said Shaikh Md. Samsuddin, DD of Baruna AED.
“I got nothing from agriculture office after Sidr though I lost crops on all my three acre land”, farmer Milon told this correspondent during a recent visit to Gazi Mahmud village in Barguna Sadar upazila.
Sahidul Islam of the same village said agriculture officials prepare list of affected farmers at their will without asking us.
Abdul Mannan Fakir of Badura village Patuakhali Sadar upazila said, “I went to upazila agriculture office several times but did not get any help neither from government nor from any NGO”.
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