Storm damages crops on 2,131 hectares in northern region

Repeated storms and heavy rainfall from March to May have caused massive losses to 19,614 farmers across 16 districts in the Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), crops on around 2,131 hectares of land have so far been damaged, with the estimated market value of the losses standing at about Tk83.39 crore.

The DAE said the damaged crops include potatoes on 916 hectares of land, bananas on 229 hectares, vegetables on 78 hectares, maize on 628 hectares, wheat on 102 hectares, sunflower on 10 hectares, onion seed on 7 hectares and chili on 9 hectares.

Over the past two days, sudden nor'wester storms devastated different areas of Tanore upazila in Rajshahi district.

The intense storms blew away the tin roofs of houses and shops in Akcha village and adjoining areas.

Power poles were knocked down and trees uprooted by the storm, disrupting communications and electricity supply in many places.

Mature Boro paddy and newly planted rice seedlings after potato harvests were flattened by strong winds, while mango and litchi orchards were littered with fallen unripe fruits.

Local farmer Jalil Mia said the paddy on his five bighas of land was completely destroyed, dealing a severe blow to his family's main source of annual income.

Tanore Upazila Agriculture Officer Saifullah Ahmed visited the affected areas and said, "We're inspecting different locations. In some places, paddy fields have lodged, which may slightly increase harvesting costs.

However, we are assessing the overall extent of the damage."

According to local experts, such sudden disasters are increasing due to climate change.

They stressed the need for strengthening agricultural insurance and emergency rehabilitation programs to protect farmers from recurring climate-related losses.

Affected farmers have urged the government to provide immediate assistance and agricultural incentives to help them recover from the losses.

However, the excessive rainfall has also brought some relief to farmers amid the ongoing fuel crisis.

The DAE said additional rainfall in March helped save nearly 200,000 metric tons of diesel otherwise needed for irrigation.

DAE Additional Director Rowshan Alam said, "About 20% of diesel—roughly 12 lakh metric tons—is used for irrigation during March and April."

When asked about the amount of fuel saved due to rainfall, he said, "We initially estimate that around two lakh metric tons of diesel were saved during this period because of the rainfall."

He added that electricity consumption also declined in areas where irrigation systems are operated by electricity.