DHUBRI, May 30 - The recent floods caused due to incessant rain have submerged 2,833 hectares of farmland in Dhubri, badly affecting the farming sector in the district.
Agricultural officials said the damage to farmland in the district has been severe as the floods occurred earlier this year and the farmers were not prepared for it. �It was sudden, mainly due to recent storms and continuous rain,� an official said.
The flood has damaged produce in almost all villages, including Silghagri, Kachura Khas, Gaspara, Dharmasala, Howrarpar, Motirchar, Falimari, Chandakhol, and Chagal Chara.
The farmers had planted rice, jute and vegetables like brinjal, lady�s finger, bitter gourd, chillies and other vegetables in the now submerged farmland.
�I had grown Iri rice in my entire five bighas of land but it has been ruined by the floods and now my field is submerged,� said Mofiz Uddin, a farmer from Silghagri. �The lockdown has already made our life miserable, and this natural calamity has completely ruined our hopes. We are clueless what to do now,� he said, adding that after the floodwaters dry up, they have no option but to clear the damaged produce from the field. He lamented that the eri rice would have been fit for harvest by mid-June.
�I had taken a loan, but all my produce is now under water. I don�t know how will I repay the loan,� said Abdus Sattar, another farmer.
Our Gauripur Correspondent adds: Rising waters of the Gadadhar river have submerged hundreds of acres of fields growing Iri paddy under Gauripur Revenue Circle. Most of the cultivators are now unable to harvest the paddy due to the high level of water in the fields.
The sluice gate situated at Charladanga was open, which led to heavy flow of flood water into the standing Iri paddy. Villages like Islampur, Darchauka, Charjugipara, Silai Kachari, Shyamcharanerkuti, Sajuwarkuti, Charaldanga, Falimari have been badly affected.
Insects also damaged a vast area of the paddy fields this year. As a result, the farmers have almost lost hope for a better future.
