District Correspondent, Sylhet: Sunamganj, known as the granary of Boro rice, has witnessed a bumper yield in its 137 haors spread across 12 upazilas. Farmers started harvesting the paddy just before the Bengali New Year (Pohela Boishakh). However, sudden forecasts of heavy rainfall and upstream water surges by the meteorological office have raised fears of flooding in the low-lying areas, dampening the festive mood of the haor region.
According to reports, Sunamganj covers an area of 3,747.18 square kilometers, and its economy revolves around haor-based paddy production. The district’s Boro paddy harvest can feed the entire nation for four days.
This season, around 10 lakh farmers cultivated Boro paddy on 223,245 hectares of land, often borrowing money from lenders at high-interest rates. The result was a bumper yield, bringing joy to the farmers as the paddy ripened before the Bengali New Year. On April 10, Agricultural Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury officially inaugurated the paddy harvesting in the haors.
However, the joy turned into anxiety as a shadow of dark clouds loomed over the region’s farmers.
Since the first day of Boishakh, the district has experienced Kalboishakhi storms. Additionally, a weather forecast issued on Friday warned of heavy rainfall throughout the week, raising fears of flooding in the haor areas.
Jalal Mia, a farmer from Korchar Haor, said, “We worked hard to grow our crops. Now, with storms and rain already starting, if we fail to harvest, we’ll lose everything.”
Sultan Mia, another farmer from Korchar Haor, added, “I borrowed money at high interest to cultivate Boro paddy. The crops are not fully ripe yet, and now the rain has started. We are deeply worried.”
Swapon Mia, a farmer from Dekhar Haor, noted, “Rainfall in Sunamganj does not usually cause much crop damage. But if it starts raining in India’s Cherrapunji, our crops could face significant losses.”
In response to the weather forecast, the district administration has advised farmers to harvest ripe paddy from all 137 haors as quickly as possible to minimize the risk of crop loss. The administration has also canceled all leaves for officials of the District Administration, Water Development Board, and Agriculture Department until all paddy is safely stored.
Mamun Howlader, Executive Engineer of the Water Development Board, stated, “Rainfall in Sunamganj and India’s Cherrapunji could lead to floods, submerging low-lying areas and causing extensive crop damage in the district.”
