Three consecutive days of hailstorms have caused extensive damage to vegetable seed fields in at least 30 villages across three upazilas of Lalmonirhat, leaving about 2,000 farmers grappling with frustration and uncertainty.
Affected farmers fear their yields could fall by half this season.
Farmers said they produce seeds of bitter gourd, chili, tomato, bottle gourd, okra, brinjal, and bean under contract with various seed companies. They used to make good profits by selling the produced seeds directly to the companies. However, the continuous hailstorm this week has dealt a major blow to that prospect.
Farmers say last night’s hailstorm caused the most extensive damage. Seed collection was supposed to begin within the next two to three weeks. But 30 to 40 percent of the plants in the fields have been broken or severely damaged by the hail, making seed collection uncertain.
Farmer Atul Chandra Roy of Durarkuti village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila said, "Seeds of bottle gourd on his 40 decimals of land and brinjal on 35 decimals of land have been severely damaged. About 40 percent of the plants in the field have been destroyed. As the plants have collapsed due to hail, it is not possible to collect seeds from them. I have incurred a loss of about Tk 200,000. Production may drop to half this year."
Narayan Chandra Roy, a farmer from Fulgach village of the same upazila, said, "My seed fields of chili, bottle gourd, and brinjal on about 65 decimals of land have been damaged. Around 40 percent of the plants have collapsed. As a result, I will get less than half the yield this year. I have suffered a loss of about Tk 300,000."
He added, "There were hailstorms at this time in the past, but the damage was never this severe. This year, the continuous three days of hailstorms have caused massive damage."
He also said farmers are now trying to protect the remaining plants by covering the fields with nets.
Khoimuddin Mia, a farmer from Chapartal area, said, "Almost all types of crops at our village have been damaged by the hailstorm, but vegetable seed fields have suffered the most. About 30 percent of the farmers in the village are involved in seed production. Many may lose their capital this year."
He added that most of the plants in his chili, okra, bottle gourd, and bean fields on 50 decimals of land have been destroyed. "This is an irreparable loss for us," he said.
Mizanur Rahman, a farmer from Chandrapur village in Kaliganj upazila, said, "More than half of the farmers in our village became self-reliant through seed production. But this year they have been severely affected by the hailstorm. About 70 percent of my bean and chili fields have been damaged. As a result, less than half of the seeds will be produced."
Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Lalmonirhat, Shaykhul Arifin, said work is underway to determine the extent of the damage caused by the hailstorm.
"Every year, vegetable seeds are produced on more than two thousand acres of land in 30 to 40 villages across three upazilas of the district. The Department of Agriculture and representatives of seed companies provide regular technical support to the farmers. However, this time the hailstorm has damaged not only vegetable seed fields but also other crop fields, including maize and wheat."
