The flood situation continues to worsen in Noakhali and Lakshmipur, wreaking havoc on the lives of residents and causing severe damage to the agriculture, fisheries, and poultry sectors in the region.
Helal Uddin, a fish farmer from Nangalkot, has been cultivating fish in 12 ponds on ten acres of land, with an investment of Tk 1 crore. His annual fish sales amount to Tk 1.20 crore. However, recent flooding has resulted in a loss as all fish from his ponds were washed away, leading to significant financial setbacks.
While talking with this correspondent at his aquaculture facility, he said, “Approximately Tk 40 lakh worth of fish have been lost from my 12 ponds. All fry have been washed away from my fish culture ponds. I was planning to sell fish within next 15 days. Now I find myself in a position akin to that of a street beggar. How can I repay debts owed to the banks and NGOs?”
Conversely, approximately Tk 3 lakh worth of food has been wasted at Irfan Poultry and Fish Feed Centre in Nangalkot. Additionally, there is growing uncertainty over the collection of around Tk 3 crore owed by various fish and poultry farmers due to sales of feed from Irfan Poultry and Fish Feed Centre.
Israt Jahan, Fisheries Officer for Nangalkot upazila, said that if affected farmers submit a written application, she will inform the higher authorities concerned and make every effort to assist them.
According to the Noakhali District Livestock Office, Sadar upazila has had most severe impact on livestock due to flooding. To date, about 187,314 domestic animals have died due to floodwaters, with the majority being chickens, totalling 186,770. Besides, 48 hectares of pastureland, 154 tonnes of grain food, 346 tonnes of hay, and 366 tonnes of raw grass have been lost. Furthermore, flood caused damage to 108 cow farms and 196 poultry farms in the district. Fish from many ponds and fish farms have been washed away.
Amid the ongoing crisis, a significant number of individuals are rallying to support farmers in various domains. New Hope Agrotech Bangladesh Ltd has committed to aiding their dealers and farmers.
Quan Shui, head of the organisation, told Bangladesh Post, “Setbacks faced by our dealers and farmers reflect our own setbacks. We are united with them during this critical period. Although we can gauge the damage to some extent now, a full evaluation will only be feasible once water levels decrease. Our primary objective at this moment is to stand by everyone in need.”
Dr Jahangir Alam Khan, an agro-economist and researcher, told the Bangladesh Post that the agricultural sector alone has suffered an approximate loss of Tk 5,000 crore while fisheries and livestock have incurred losses of about Tk 2,000 crore.
In this situation, the government should urgently form a committee to assess the damage and allocate around Tk 10,000 crore in budgetary assistance to affected areas, he added.
Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhtar earlier said that ongoing severe flood has caused extensive damage to fisheries and livestock sectors, resulting in losses of over Tk 2,000 crore.
