Floods have damaged crops worth around Tk 500 crore on 87795 hectares of land in Kurigram and Bogra districts. Our Kurigram correspondent, quoting Shawkat Ali Sarkar, deputy director (DD) of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in the district, reports that floods have damaged crops worth around Tk four crores in the district. Aman paddy famers cultivated 1,03,291 hectares of land in nine upazilas of the district while local agriculture department had fixed 88,396 hectares this year, said a source in Kurigram DAE. The back-to-back floods inundated 507 villages of 63 unions under nine upazilas of the district and submerged 76,688 hectares of crop fields. Of them, 44,085 hectares of croplands have been damaged. Jitendra Nath Sarkar, 55, a farmer of Topamari Beel area of Belgachha union under Sadar upazila, said, “About 18 bighas of my aman paddy field have been damaged by the recent flood and downpour. As there is no scope of replanting aman paddy, I have to count a huge loss.” Abu Bakar Siddique, 24, a farmer of Farajipara village under Jattrapur union of the upazila, said, “I cultivated aman on 12 bighas of land before this flood. The whole paddy field has been damaged by floodwater. There is no scope of cultivating paddy again as the lands are still under water.” Shawkat Ali Sarkar said, “The farmers have been badly affected this season. To recover their loss, we are advising them to cultivate paddy saplings of Nabhi variety after the floodwater recedes. If the water takes longer to recede, we advise them to cultivate vegetables, mustard, pulse and ground nut.” Away in Bogra, the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Bogra has assessed the loss due to damage to crops by the recent flood in 150 villages of 25 unions under eight upazilas of the district to be around Tk 103 crore. Crops on 11, 107 hectares of land were damaged by back-to-back floods in Sonatola, Shariakandi, Dhunat, Sherpur, Gabtoli, Shajahanpur, Shibgonj and Adamdighi upazilas. DAE sources said T-aman on 10,233 hectares out of 1,85,500 hectares, seedbeds of T-aman on 173 hectares, aus on 282 hectares, vegetables on 340 hectares, and lentil on 115 hectares were damaged in the upazila. The sources added that there is no chance of planting aman on the affected land, but the farmers can recoup their losses to some extent by cultivating a new kind of local paddy, "Gainza," in the damaged cropland. Contacted, Deputy Director (DD) of DAE, Bogra, Chandi Das Kundu, said they have sent a letter to the authorities concerned, asking for Tk 7 crore for the rehabilitation of the affected farmers of the district so that they can recover their losses. District education sources said at least 111 educational institutions of Shariakandi, Dhunta, Sonatola and Shibgonj upazilas have been affected, but the total amount of losses could not be estimated till Thursday. Source - http://www.thedailystar.net