Cyclone Sitrang poised to ravage Aman production

Only a week ago, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had sounded the alarm bell on an impending food crisis, urging all to "bring every inch of land under cultivation".

The fallout of Cyclone Sitrang, which formed over the Bay of Bengal, is now on the verge of upending even the best laid plans, threatening a food security crisis already stressed by severe flooding, economic turmoil and the onset of a global drought.

The disaster ministry believes that Sitrang would impact 13 coastal districts, ravaging Aman paddy production, which constitutes a crucial 39% of total grains produced in Bangladesh, but the damage could be minimal.

The 13 districts are Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jhalkathi, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barishal, Lakshmipur, Chandpur, Noakhali and Feni.

The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has also warned of damage to fish and animal farms.

Although it is too early to estimate the impact of the disaster, several officials of the Barishal Divisional Agriculture Office told The Business Standard that the paddy that is at a flowering stage – around 8-10% – will bear the brunt of the calamity.

Deputy Director of the Barishal Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Harun-Or-Rashid told TBS, "A total of 1.25 lakh hectares of land has been cultivated. Out of this, paddy in 20,000 hectares of land is at the flowering stage. These crops are in danger," he said.

He, however, pointed out that of the targeted planting of winter vegetables on 11,000 hectares of land, only a thousand have been used, minimising any damage.

Harun also said there are four upazilas, including Mehendiganj and Bakerganj, where the amount of low land is high, putting those under more threat.

Md Fazlul Haque, additional director of the Barishal DAE, said, "There is a lot of concern about rice, especially those in the flowering stage. We will know the extent of the damage once the storm passes."

The same situation was observed in other districts as well. The disaster ministry has said Barguna's Patharghata and Patuakhali's Kalapara were at most risk.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Aman has been planted on 59 lakh hectares of land across the country this year.

Meanwhile, the ministry held a meeting on Monday where the leaves of all agriculture department officials were cancelled and they were asked to monitor the situation.

Field officers were asked to provide advice to farmers and assess the damage immediately after the cyclone passes.

In coastal areas, farmers have been asked to quickly drain any tidal water that enters their land.

In Satkhira, Khulna and Bagerhat – areas known for fish enclosures and shrimp cultivation – there are also concerns about livestock being washed away.

In August, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder dismissed any possibilities of a food shortage, saying the country's current stock was the highest in recent times.

According to the food ministry, the country's current stock of food grains is more than 20 lakh tonnes.