e_Paper, Tuesday, August 29, 2017

8
TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017
DT
News
Around 5,000 hectares of vegetable crops have been inundated while around 8,000 hectares of Aush paddy has also been
badly hit by the floods ahead of harvesting
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Rice production to fall as
floods ravage farmland
• Abu Siddique
CURRENT AFFAIRS
The production of rice is expected
to fall in the next cycle
as around six lakh hectares of
Aman paddy fields have been
inundated with floodwater.
According to a floods bulletin
issued by the Department
of Disaster Management on
Monday, a total of 591,647 hectares
of Aman paddy field in 32
districts have been affected.
Unofficial sources, however,
put the total damage
to crops including paddy far
higher.
According to the Ministry
of Agriculture, the average
Aman paddy production in
Bangladesh is around 2.5 tons
per hectare. Therefore the
country is expected to produce
around 15 lakh tonnes
less Aman paddy this season.
In addition, around 5,000
hectares of vegetable crops
have been inundated while
around 8,000 hectares of
Aush paddy has also been
badly hit by the floods ahead
of harvesting.
This year the government
set a target to bring around 54
lakh hectares of agricultural
land under Aman production.
The country produces
around 34.7 million tonnes
of rice against its annual demand
for 32.4 million tonnes.
Among the paddy varieties,
Boro accounts for the
bulk of total production –
ranging around 19.5 million
tons – while Aman production
comes second annually.
Meanwhile, the government
has started distributing
Aman paddy seedlings in different
districts where floodwater
is receding.
Sources said there is an
acute shortage of seedlings
after the flood.
Food Loss
Just a few months ago during
the Boro season, the country
lost around 20 lakh tonnes of
Boro rice due to sudden flash
floods in six districts along
the Haor basin.
The food shortage over the
last few months hiked the
coarse rice price in local markets
by Tk18 a kg compared to
the same period a year ago.
With its limited stocks,
the government is struggling
to provide support for Safety
Net Programmes including
Vulnerable Group Feeding,
Vulnerable Group Development
and Gratuitous Relief.
As of yesterday, the
government’s food reserve
stood at 446,000 tons. Of the
total, there were 312,000 tons
of rice and 134,000 tons of
wheat grains.
The Floods
According to Flood
Forecasting and Warning
Centre, water levels of the
Brahmaputra-Jamuna and
Ganges-Padma rivers are in
falling trend while Surma-
Kushiyara is rising.
Under the influence of
current floods, 18 river points
out of 90 measured stations
in different rivers in all three
basins – Ganges, Brahmaputra
and Meghna – have seen
water flow above the danger
level.
At the same time, water
The food shortage over the last few
months hiked the coarse rice price in
local markets by Tk18 a kg compared
to the same period a year ago
levels have been rising in 31
points in the rivers across the
country.
Of them, the Kushiyara
river at Amalshid point has
risen by 101cm, the Gur river
at Singra point by 71cm and
the Atrai river at Baghabari
point by 19cm.
In addition, the level of
the Lakhya river has swollen
at Lakhpur point by 91cm,
the Padma river at Goalanda
point by 10cm, and the Surma
river at Kanaighat point by
42cm.
All of these are above the
danger level. •