Dr. Hamidul Huq :: People are sharing their concerns social and print media about harvest of Boro rice. The daily Financial Express reported on 16 April, 2020 on the question whether the policymakers as well as other concerned parties are of threats of rice harvesting in Haor region in the current Boro season. It is a deep concern that the coronavirus pandemic-induced lockdown throughout the country will lead no mobility of labour. Historically it is a fact that labours from some other parts, dominantly from north Bengal districts come to the Haor reason to work as rice harvesting labour.
According to ‘Master Plan of Haor Area, 2012’, Haor with their unique hydro-ecological characteristics are large bowl shaped floodplain depressions located in the north-eastern region of Bangladesh covering about 1.99 million ha (19,998 sq. km.) of area and accommodating about 19.37 million people. There are 373 haor/wetlands in northeast of Bangladesh. These 273 Haors cover an area of about 858,000 ha which is about 43% of the total area of the haor region, which covers seven districts. The districts are: Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, Netrokona, Sylhet, Habiganj, Maulavibazar and Brahman Baria. About 0.71 million ha of net cultivable land is available in this area, which produces more than 5.25 million tons of paddy each year. However, sudden intrusion of flash flood may destroy agricultural production of about 0.33 million ha, worth Tk. 3,486 million or 3% of the national agricultural contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
More than 28% of Haor population lives below the Lower Poverty Line (LPL). Agriculture is the principal livelihood of the farmers who cultivate a single crop in the year whole. This single crop remains under the constant threat of partial to complete damage from the early onrush of flash floods. Flash flood in the Haor area mainly occurs due to heavy rainfall in hilly region. Almost all the rivers in this area are originated from nearby hilly area of India and have very steep in longitudinal slope. As a result these rivers are extremely flashy. When heavy rainfall occurs in the hilly region of India, water quickly moves towards the Haor area of Bangladesh through a number of rivers and khals due to steep slope. Heavy rainfall in pre-monsoon causes early flash flood.
Flashflood occurred in March and April of 2017, which victimized the Haor people of six north-eastern districts of Bangladesh who lost their food security. About 20 million people lost their major crops rice, only means of their livelihoods; 200,000 hectares rice crop completely lost expecting a yield of 800,000 metric ton unclean rice.
Boro season in Haor area started in December. Farmers prepare seedlings in December and they transplant in January. Harvesting starts from mid-April and goes till end of May. We learnt from news media and social media that it is already a time to harvest rice in some parts of Haor like in Netrokona. Farmers are in stressed. They are not known to government’s decisions on ‘labour mobility’ from other parts of the country to Haor region. Even, they received any information or instructions from the government, especially the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) regarding mobility of local labours for rice harvesting. But Coronavirus-induced lockdown is loud up to high degree in the area. DAE is totally silent about any help or support for the farmers to harvest rice.
According to weather forecast, the Haor may face runoff near or above danger level in the end of April or in the 1st week of May and the 2nd week of May could be worst. This weather forecast warns us about a high risk of early flood/flashflood, which may lead to huge loss of rice in Haor that happened in 2017. 2020 is extremely different than 2017. There was no COVID19 situation in 2017. No lockdown was there in the country and the whole world. We are, especially the rural Bangladesh is already fallen in a hardship situation. Rural economy, farmers’ livelihoods, livelihoods of landless agriculture labourers and informal sector earners are already in vulnerable stages. We must not allow a devastation in the Haor by not taking immediate strategic initiatives to harvest rice before the flood/flashflood comes.
According to Chanel I (18th April), there is a need of 8.4 million man-days of labour for one season rice harvesting in Haor. This means, about 280,000 labours are required for one month to harvest rice in this season in Haor area. In an interview with Mr. Shykh Seraj of Chanel I on 18th April, The Agriculture Minister Dr. Abdur Razzaque mentioned, he has already taken initiatives to mobilize labours from other parts of the country and arranged sending rice cutting machines. But, the minister have not mentioned about how the labours from other parts of the country, say, from Rangpur Division, with travel to haor area. Honorable Prime Minister informed the Parliament today (18th April) that labours’ mobility will be allowed for the sake of rice harvesting.
It is crucially important to undertake some strategic initiatives without any delay: Option 1: Keep the Haor farmers updated with weather forecasting from today for next two months daily; Option 2: DAE must mobilize and supply rice cutting/harvesting machines to the Haor farmers. There are several types of rice cutting machines, which can be more relevant/appropriate in the COVID19 induced lockdown situation; Option3: Allow labour mobility at least from Rangpur, Nilfamari, Kurigram, Gaibandha to Haor region. The DAE may play a role in arranging travelling of the labours by train (FREE) through negotiations with the Railway Department. This special arrangement may support a big number of poor people who are totally unemployed at this moment to travel to Haor area to be employed for minimum one month.
It can be mentioned that they will earn Tk.500-600 as daily wage each. On the other hand, the Haor farmers will be having a great support for rice harvesting. If the Haor farmers can harvest rice before the apprehended flood/flashflood, they do have food security and the government id relieved from the pressure of dealing with food shortage in the Haor region. If the government, especially the DAE, go immediately in actions following these strategic approaches, it may lead to address corona crises, short-term rehabilitation of hundreds of poor people from Rangpur Division who are victims of Corona induced lockdown, great support for Haor farmers in harvesting rice, and protecting the Haor farmers’ loss and damages from flashflood.
Writer : Professor and Director, Institute of Development Studies and Sustainability (IDSS), United International University (UIU). Email:hamidulhuq@idss.uiu.ac.bd
