Farmers across Gaibandha district rely heavily on agriculture to meet their basic needs, with Aman paddy cultivation being the most profitable crop.

This season, after proper fertilisation and pesticide application, the crop showed promise of a bumper harvest.

However, attacks by the rice stem borer (current pest) combined with unseasonal rains during Hemanta have caused the paddy fields to bend and submerge in water, threatening irreversible losses for farmers.

On Saturday, visits to fields across Gaibandha Sadar and surrounding upazilas revealed extensive damage to transplanted Aman paddy. Mature panicles, expected to yield grains, have been bent by rain and pest infestation, with some farmers forced to cut and feed the damaged plants to livestock.

Others are bundling the fallen paddy and selling it in local markets. The Agriculture Department has yet to provide an official estimate of the losses but farmers fear that thousands of hectares of paddy may be ruined.

Local farmer Jahurul Islam said he cultivated Aman paddy on two bighas of land. “The panicles were almost ready but heavy rain and wind flattened 25 decimals of my field, causing around Tk 10,000 in losses,” he said.

Another farmer, Jahir Uddin, added that earlier pest attacks had already damaged 25 decimals of his Aman paddy field, leaving him deeply frustrated.

Upazila Assistant Agriculture Officer Mostafizur Rahman said that farmers are being provided with leaflets and field-level guidance to control pests. He also advised on “lodging management” techniques to help straighten fallen paddy, minimising crop loss.

Khorshed Alam, Deputy Director of the Gaibandha Agricultural Extension Department, said that Aman paddy has been cultivated on 1,32,000 hectares in the district this season.

Field officers are actively working on-site to prevent further losses and ensure that lodged crops can recover despite recent adverse weather.