305 hectares of Boro fields submerged in Brahmanbaria amid continuous rain
The situation has intensified over the past few days, with new areas of cropland being flooded daily.
Continuous heavy rainfall combined with upstream water flow has submerged around 305 hectares of Boro paddy fields in Medir Haor under Nasirnagar upazila of Brahmanbaria, putting at least 2,000 farmers at risk of significant losses.
Local farmers and labourers are unable to harvest paddy due to persistent rain, while water levels continue to rise in the haor region. The situation has intensified over the past few days, with new areas of cropland being flooded daily, according to officials.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, Boro paddy was cultivated on about 11,000 hectares of land in the haor areas of Nasirnagar this season. Over 60% of the harvest had already been completed before the onset of heavy rainfall. However, continued downpours have now submerged an additional 305 hectares as of this morning (4 May).
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Officials say more than 2,000 farmers have already been affected. With worsening conditions, even offering daily wages of Tk1,500 has failed to attract sufficient labourers for harvesting. As a result, both ripe and semi-ripe paddy are rotting in the fields.
In some cases where paddy has been harvested, lack of sunlight has prevented proper drying, further increasing post-harvest losses.
"I invested by borrowing money and cultivated paddy on 15 kanis of land. Most of it was ready for harvest, but now everything is underwater," said farmer Bashir Mia from Medir Haor. "Even if I sell the harvested paddy at Tk500-600 per maund, it won't cover production costs, especially with labour costs now tripled."
Another farmer, Rahim Mia, said he depends entirely on selling his paddy for family survival. "I cannot harvest or sell my crops. I feel completely ruined," he said.
Nasirnagar Upazila Agriculture Officer Imran Hossain confirmed that 305 hectares of paddy are currently submerged.
He added that already harvested paddy is also at risk due to lack of sunshine for drying. "We are preparing a list of affected farmers to provide possible assistance," he said.
