Peanut harvest season is in full swing across the Tista river chars in Ulipur upazila, Kurigram, but consecutive days of rain have flooded low-lying fields and left more than a hundred farmers facing heavy losses.
Higher ground produced satisfactory yields, but the picture is starkly different in lower-lying areas. Prolonged rain submerged fields, rotting peanuts still in the ground. In some areas, farmers were forced to harvest immature crops to salvage what they could.
Farmer Kobbas Ali of Goraipiara char said he cultivated peanuts on 40 shotok of land. Continuous rain flooded his field and destroyed most of the crop. He spent approximately 15,000 taka to harvest what remained but recovered only five mon. At current market prices, he said, he will barely recoup a fraction of his costs and is uncertain how he will repay his debts.
Farmers Chand Mia, Monju Mia, Kashem Ali, and Robiyal described similar hardships. They said peanuts are the main cash crop for people living on the Tista chars, but floods, sudden rain, and adverse weather frequently destroy their livelihoods. They called for urgent implementation of the Tista master plan.
The upazila agriculture office said the cultivation target this season was 365 hectares, but 368 hectares were planted. The production target is 675 metric tons. However, recent continuous rain has caused significant damage to crops in low-lying char areas.
Upazila agriculture officer Mosharaf Hossain said yields on higher char land were good, but low-lying areas suffered rain damage. With market prices favorable, farmers outside the affected areas are likely to earn well, he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report