Farmers’ Dreams Drown in Haor, Bilkis Struggles with Loan Installments
Farmers’ Crops Submerged in Haor Water, Many Struggle Under Loan Pressure. Photo: Aagamir Somoy
“I spent Tk 22,000 on labor to harvest paddy from three ‘kanis’ of land. I got 20 maunds of paddy. I had to harvest it before it fully ripened. The trader is offering only Tk 10,000. What will I do with this money? How will I pay the loan instalments? There is no way out except death…”
These were the tearful words of Bilkis Khatun, a farmer from Medir Haor in Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria. Months of labor, debt, and hope have all seemed to sink under the haor water.
In the current Boro season, Bilkis cultivated paddy on 22 ‘kanis’ of land, including her own and leased plots. She financed the farming with loans from relatives and cooperatives. Her hope was to sell the paddy, repay the loans, support her household, and rebuild her life.
But continuous rainfall over several days and upstream floodwaters have now shattered that hope.
Bilkis said she managed to harvest some of the paddy before the rain, but the rest had to be cut late due to delayed ripening. Around 10 ‘kanis’ of her land are still submerged. The haor remains flooded, with muddy fields and waist-deep water. A shortage of labor has made harvesting nearly impossible.
“Even after offering Tk 1,200 per day, I cannot find workers. The paddy we did manage to harvest could not be dried properly. We are forced to sell wet paddy at very low prices. Everything is ruined,” she said, overwhelmed by despair.
Heavy rainfall and upstream water have submerged at least 500 hectares of Boro paddy fields in Medir Haor of the upazila. The Department of Agricultural Extension said around 2,000 farmers have been affected.
This season, Boro cultivation covered about 17,500 hectares in the upazila, of which nearly 11,000 hectares are in haor areas. However, rising water levels and labor shortages have prevented many farmers from harvesting their crops on time.
“Paddy is everything to me. I depend on it to run my household and educate my children. But five ‘kanis’ of my land are underwater. Even if I harvest now, the quality will be poor and I won’t get a good price,” said farmer Abul Kashem from Medir Haor.
The crisis is not limited to the fields; it has also reached storage houses. Farmers who harvested early are also struggling, as continuous rain has prevented proper drying, putting stored paddy at risk of rotting.
Local farmers said laborers were available earlier only at double wages, but a severe labor shortage over the past two days has worsened the situation. As a result, many are helplessly watching their ripe paddy go under water.
Nabinagar Upazila Agriculture Officer Imran Hossain said water levels in the haor continue to rise, but no new areas have been flooded. More than 60 percent of the paddy had already been harvested before the rains began, so the overall damage is relatively limited. He added that a list of affected farmers is being prepared.
However, for farmers in the field, the so-called ‘limited damage’ feels anything but small, as this crop represented their only support for the entire year. Now, along with the haor waters, their dreams of survival are also being washed away.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shahina Nasrin said the process of preparing a list of affected farmers and providing incentives is underway.
