2 lakh farmer families outside post-flood rehabilitation programme in 3 N districts
The Agriculture Extension Department (AED) is yet to take any initiative to rehabilitate more than 2 lakh flood-affected farmer families in Bogra, Gaibanda and Kurigram districts.
AED sources said 2,35,418 farmer families in the three districts have been affected due to recent flood but the government has planned to rehabilitate only 34,101 farmers under a post-flood rehabilitation programme.
Md Mohsin Ali, deputy director (DD) of Kurigram AED said at least 1,13,838 farmer families in the district have been affected during recent food and most of them are facing hardship to maintain families. Farmers have cultivated some 22,000 hectares of land in their own initiative while crops on 2,8769 hectares of land were damaged by the floods.
“The government has provided seedlings for 6.88 hectares free of cost under post flood rehabilitation programme for the flood-affected farmers in the district,” Md Mohsin Ali said. Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) provided 700 kg seeds to cultivate 101 hectares of land in the district on payment, AED sources said.
Loss of Aman and other crops due to flood and water logging in Kurigram district this year had been calculated at about 180 crore, AED sources said.
A proposal has been made to allocate Tk 600 for each farmer in Kurigram, which is much below the need. “It is estimated that at least 7 crore taka is needed to for the post flood rehabilitation programme in Kurigam district but we are yet to have any assurance from the authority,” the AED official said.
NMM Mizanur Rahman Amin, DD of Gaibanda AED said at least 75,580 farmer families in the district have been affected in recent flood and water logging that damaged seasonal crops including Aman paddy on 13,344.52 hectare of land, causing a loss of Tk 74 crore.
The department has locally planned to rehabilitate 20,000 farmer families which is only 25 percent of total flood-affected farmer families.
More than 46,000 farmer families have been affected in four upazilas including Sharikandi upazila due to recent flood and waterlogging in Bogra district, AED sources said.
Md Rustam Ali, deputy director of Bogra AED, said the department has sent a proposal to the authorities to sanction Tk 3,36,67,182 for rehabilitation of 14,000 farmer families out of a total 46,000 flood affected families.
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