Non-stop rainfall since Tuesday has impacted large areas of farmland across Bangladesh, raising concerns among vegetable growers. Thousands of hectares are submerged due to the prolonged downpour, and farmers fear severe damage if the rains continue. Key crops such as chilli and summer vegetables have been hit hard, with traders avoiding markets due to the adverse conditions.
"There are hardly any buyers," said Abu Hanif Morol, a farmer from Khulna's Dumuria upazila. "If this continues, we will lose even more." The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) reports that approximately 136,000 hectares of cropland are underwater. The Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has warned that a sudden rise in temperatures after the waters recede could further harm vegetable crops, possibly leading to supply shortages and price hikes.
Summer vegetables like bitter gourd, ash gourd, and others are the most affected. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department attributes the ongoing rain to a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal and advancing monsoon winds. Although rainfall may decrease by Thursday, another spell is forecast to begin on Sunday.
The effects are already visible in the capital's kitchen markets, where supplies of vegetables, fish, and essential items have declined. Prices of green chilli, fish, and chicken have increased. Delowar Jahan from Ghior upazila reports that 75% of his chilli plants were destroyed. Abu Hanif Morol in Khulna suffered damage to gourd crops on two bighas of land, along with some losses to bean plants. He has struggled to get fair prices for the small harvest he managed.
In Jashore Sadar, farmer Tarikul Islam reports that wholesale prices for bitter gourd have dropped from about $0.34 to $0.12–$0.13 per kilogram due to falling demand. "Flowers are dropping, pests are attacking, and roots are weakening," Islam explained, describing the effects on his 25 kathas of land.
Md Jamal Uddin from the DAE confirmed that heavy rainfall has also impacted Aus and Aman seedbeds, jute, and various other fields. Across Bangladesh, significant crop areas remain submerged, affecting districts such as Cox's Bazar, Noakhali, and others. The situation may worsen if temperatures rise quickly after flooding subsides, potentially resulting in further plant deaths, according to Md Mahbubar Rahman Salim from the Vegetable Division of the Horticultural Research Centre.
Source: Asia News Network
