THE loss of three crops, as well as a probable loss of the fourth one, in a row, especially in the flooded north and north-east, has already dealt a blow to the farmers. The farmers who have repeatedly lost their investments in rice farming to flooding that has left them impoverished and deep in debt do not see any hopes of recovery, with the flooding at hand having already threatened their aman farming, unless the government makes an intervention with something like the bailout package that the government offered for businesses during the prolonged Covid outbreak. Some areas in the flooded regions are in such a bad shape that 90 per cent of the farmers have lost their crop one after another. Many are at risk of losing the fourth one, aman, the second largest rice crop in Bangladesh, although floodwater has started receding a couple of days ago. The situation might worsen as they are at risk of facing further flooding in this active monsoon season. The government has already advised people to brace for flooding in August and September. An official estimate says that about two million people have so far been affected by flooding in 18 districts in the north and the north-east.
An unprecedented heatwave lasting for more than a month, from late March to early May, has already affected aman seedbeds. Day temperature frequently exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. The heatwave also delayed the planting of jute. The farmers who planted jute say that they need a dry spell of at least 20 days to save their jute plants, which went under water in June. The destruction of aman seedbeds entails the obvious consequence of a delayed planting of the crop, which accounts about 40 per cent of Bangladesh鈥檚 rice production. Official estimates show a decreased farming of aus, down by about 80,000 hectares in the Sylhet division. And, officials put the decrease by such a large margin down to flooding. Farming has also fallen short of the target in other areas and that, too, is not only in the case of rice farming but also in case of jute and vegetable farming. Vegetable farmers are reported to have suffered the highest loss in the Sylhet division. The situation has pushed farmers deep in debt. They keep repaying the loans, in instalments, by taking out loans or managing whatever amount of money they can lay their hands on from other sources as they have completely lost their capital beyond any hopes for recovery long ago.
The government has earlier offered bailout funds for ailing banks in the form of fresh loans and subsidy. It has also offered bailout packages for export-oriented businesses during the prolonged Covid outbreak. They were mostly meant for the rich. Now, it is time that the government offered bailout funds and other aids for the farmers, mostly poor, so that they could survive in their trade and save agriculture and keep effectively contributing to the economic growth. And, the government must see that such a plan is not marred by corruption and irregularities as have been reported in many earlier cases.
