Measures Taken to Reduce Flood Damage: Minister

Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque on Monday said that the government took different initiatives to reduce the Tk 349 crore damage primarily caused by the flood.

The minister came up with the remarks at a meeting with ministry officials at the Ministry.

The damage will be recovered and the target of Aman production will be possible to achieve if the flood condition does not worsen further, he said.

Ropa Aman saplings worth Tk 2.15 crore have been distributed among the farmers of severely affected districts free of cost, Razzaque said.

The Ministry has also initiated a program spending approximately Tk 70 lakh to plant saplings of Ropa Aman on floating beds.

Flood-hit and small farmers will also get free saplings of Aman to plant through rice trans-planter at a cost of Tk 54 lakh, the minister said.

''Around 50,000 farmers will be provided fertilizer and seeds of Maskolai worth Tk 3.82 crore if they fail to produce Aman in flood-stricken areas.'', he said.

In the first phase, a flood from June 25 to July 8, affected approximately 76,310 hectares of paddy fields in 14 districts where a total of 3.44 lakh farmers were victimized, Razzaque said.

In the second phase, from July 11 to July 19, around 83,000 hectares of paddy fields in 26 districts, including the previous 14 districts, were damaged, he added.

The minister has urged all officials of the ministry to work with dedication as agriculture has been exposed to severe risks due to floods and the COVID-19 pandemic.