As water recedes in Sunamganj haors, boro land emerges but farmers worry over incentives and embankments

Water has begun to recede from the vast haors of Sunamganj, which remain submerged for six months of the monsoon. Land for the single-crop boro cultivation is slowly emerging. In some places seedbeds are being prepared, in others farmers are preparing the land.

Amid the busyness of the new season, farmers have no peace of mind. Not receiving government fertiliser and seed incentives on time, irregularities in the construction of crop-protection embankments, and fears that an early flash flood from the hills could submerge the crop are worrying the haor-side farmers.

Boro rice is the main livelihood of farmers in Sunamganj's 12 upazilas. Their families' food for the whole year, their children's education, medical care and other expenses depend on this one crop. So even a small loss of the boro crop can bring a major disaster to a farmer's family.

As government incentives have not arrived at the start of the new season, many farmers are buying seeds from the market with their own money to prepare seedbeds.

Farmers are also deeply worried about crop-protection embankments. They allege that although crores of taka are allocated every year for embankment construction, questions remain over the quality of work and transparency of spending. In some places the work is substandard, in others there are allegations of irregularities. If early hill flash-flood water enters the haor, the only crop of the year could be submerged.

According to the district Department of Agricultural Extension, in the 2026 boro season boro was cultivated on 223,511 hectares of land in Sunamganj's 12 upazilas. The production target was 1,233,517 metric tonnes. In the end about 1.3 million metric tonnes of rice were produced, with an estimated market value of about Tk 5,000 crore. By the agriculture department's calculation, Sunamganj's boro rice can meet about 17 days of the country's food demand.

Despite producing such a huge amount of rice, farmers are not getting the desired financial relief, according to those concerned. They say that although the prices of fertiliser, seeds, labour and other farm inputs have risen, a fair price for the rice produced is not ensured.

Before 2016-17, crop-protection embankments in Sunamganj were built through contractors. After extensive crop damage from floods in the district at that time, a food and livelihood crisis appeared across the haor. Later the government introduced embankment construction through Project Implementation Committees (PICs) formed with local farmers. But farmers claim that despite the change in method, complaints about irregularities in embankment construction, proper use of allocations and quality of work have not been fully removed.

Farmer Mahbub Ahmad said: 'Although extra allocation is given for building embankments to protect the single-crop boro rice, there is stealing in the work. Those in charge of the embankments fill their pockets. With so many problems we cannot profit from rice farming. I will not farm rice in future. I went abroad before, I will go again.'

Farmer Jamil Mia said a fair price for rice is not available. Still, as there is no alternative employment, he has started farming again this time. He said: 'I know I will be harmed, but the land cannot be left fallow. We have to eat too.'

Another farmer, Latif Mia, said government fertiliser and seeds are not available on time. Seedbeds have to be prepared by buying seeds from the market before the incentive support arrives. If fertiliser and seeds were arranged as soon as the water receded, poor farmers would benefit.

Omar Faruk, deputy director of the Sunamganj district Department of Agricultural Extension, said the government incentive allocation has not yet arrived. As it has not been approved, it could not be distributed among farmers. This time the amount of incentive may decrease compared to before. However, efforts are under way to assist farmers.