OUR CORRESPONDENT, Tangail

Farmer Jinnat Ali of Dhitpur village in Sadar upazila of the district cultivated sugarcane on his three and half bighas of land this year and the yield had been good. But the recent flood damaged his sugarcane fields fully.

“My sugarcane fields have been submerged under the floodwater during the second week of July. The sugarcanes were supposed to be harvested after one month and a half,” Jinnat said.

“I had cultivated the sugarcane spending Tk 70,000 after borrowing money from others. I hoped to sell the sugarcane at Tk 2 lakh. But the prolonged floods dashed my hope,” he added.

“Now it is time to cultivate Aman paddy on the fields but I do not know how I will arrange the money for it,” Jinnat said.

All sugarcanes of the 50 decimals of land of Mohammad Ali of the same village were also damaged fully by the floods.

“However, none from the agriculture office came to visit our damaged fields,” Ali said.

Farmer Rafiqul Islam of the village said the flood also hit his sugarcane field. He incurred a huge loss due to the flood.

Not only Jinnat, Ali and Rafiqul of the village but also sugarcanes of around 50 farmers in the area and adjacent areas were destroyed by the floods and the poor farmers incurred huge losses, sources said.

The local growers said farmers in the area are interested in cultivating sugarcane for higher yield. Its cultivation is very profitable too. It is more profitable than other crops.

According to the office of the deputy director (DD) of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Tangail, sugarcane was cultivated on 467 hectares of land in 10 upazilas of the district with a target to produce 21,456 tonnes of sugarcane.

Sugarcane of around 65 hectares of lands have been damaged fully and partially by flooding. Of these, the crops on 16 hectares of land in Tangail Sadar upazila were damaged fully.

Contacted, Ziaur Rahman, upazila agriculture officer in Tangail Sadar upazila, told The Daily Star that a part of the total flood affected farmers will be provided government supports such as seeds and fertilisers, which will be distributed soon.

Meanwhile, several local sugarcane farmers have demanded separate allocation for them.

Agriculturist Ahsanul Bashar, deputy director of DAE in Tangail, besides sugarcane, other crops such as banana and lemon in some areas were also damaged by the floods.

They have plan to help the flood affected sugarcane, banana and lemon growers in the district by providing them saplings, he said.

A proposal has already been sent to the higher authorities in this regard, said the DAE official.

Llocal growers said farmers in the area are interested in cultivating sugarcane for higher yield and its cultivation is more profitable than other crops.

Photo:

Star