Non-circulation of agro-met forecast worsen recent crop loss

Most affected farmers across the country said the DAE or no other government offices informed them about the weather forecast.

Parts of Bangladesh earlier this month witnessed massive rainfalls, largely unusual in late winter, resulting in significant crop loss, an event which farmers attributed to failure to reach met office forecasts to their level, eventually affecting kitchen market prices.

“We had no information of the forecast , the downpour damaged standing crops like potato and vegetables,” said farmer Ariful Haque Batul of Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar.

Fellow farmer Rezaul Islam, Echhahaq Ali and Helaluddin said they could have developed drainage systems or harvest in advance some of the yields if they had any knowledge of the forecast.

Meteorology Department’s agromet division officials said they forecasted that the country was likely to witness rainfall on February 4 and 5 and provided the information to the Agriculture Extension Department (DAE) and Disaster Management Department.

DAE officials said they conveyed it to its upazila and district Agriculture Offices which subsequently sent the agromet forecast to the lead farmers or farmers’ organisations through SMS, voice SMS and email.

But what it appears that there was a communication gap at places where the farmers could not be properly informed of the impending weather situation though crops were saved through advance harvesting or developing drainage systems in several areas.

Most affected farmers across the country  said the DAE or no other government offices informed them about the weather forecast.

Meteorological department’ agromet division deputy director SM Mahmudul Huque said they issued an advisory seven days before the rain lashed different districts across the country on February 4-5.

“We issue four agromet bulletins in a month and provide it to public agencies like DAE and Disaster Management Department who are expected to disseminate them to the growers . . . it (disseminate to farmers) is not our responsibility,” he said.

DAE’s agro-meteorological information systems development project director Dr Md Shah Kamal Khan said they got only one or two days for disseminating the advisory through sub-assistant agriculture officers (SAAOs) before the winter rains lashed the standing crops.

Kamal said the farmers rather should be more aware of the agromet forecast so they could minimise their  crop loss from the weather events.

DAE official for greater Dinajpur Prodip Kumar Guha supplemented Kamal, saying the rain could harm little the crops in Dinajpur as farmers there developed in advance drainage systems to protect yields from unpredictable or sudden rains.

“Crops in Dinajpur were largely saved due to the drainage systems but in (neighbouring) Panchagargh and Thakurgaon, the situation was different – the farmers there incurred huge crop loss as they were preparing to harvest their Robi crops,” Guha said.

Several experts said extreme events frequently expose farmers to crop damages as the agromet forecast does not reach them in time for lack of its proper dissemination.

Climate scientist Dr Mohan Kumar Das said agromet advisory should also be disseminated among the farmers in their understandable language so they could plan their strategies.

Das, also the executive director of National Oceanographic and Maritime Institute (NOAMI), said he expected a revitalised the DAE role in weather information dissemination.

“In recent days, crop insurance is also becoming popular which may compensate their loss and damage,” he added.

A westerly low triggered the heavy winter rainfall on February 4-5 causing severe damage to wheat, maize, potato, vegetable and spice fields in different parts of the country.

Farmers said standing wheat and maize plants shuddered in many places in Dinajpur, Nilphamari, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh and Rangpur districts.

Ptato and vegetable farmers in Rangpur, Dinajpur, Bogura and Rajshahi regions fell into greater trouble due to the erratic weather.

According to the Met office data, Khulna witnessed the highest rainfall in 24 hours between February 4 and 5 last as recorded 69 millimetre (mm), while in Rangpur the quantum was 55 mm, Dinajpur 52 mm, Nilphamari 35 mm, Rajshahi 35 mm and Barishal 33 mm.