Dreams Washed Away by Floodwaters: The Cry of Mud and Tears of Sunamganj’s Farmers

Sunamganj of Sylhet, known as the “Daughter of the Haor,” is a region formed by countless haors. At present, Sunamganj is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Bangladesh. It is home to natural attractions such as Niladri Lake, Tanguar Haor, Shimul Garden, and Haor Bilash. Tanguar Haor, recognized as Bangladesh’s second Ramsar site, hosts numerous species of brood fish, playing a vital role in conserving the country’s biodiversity. Due to the presence of numerous wetlands (bils), the local saying goes: “Choy Kuri Kandar Noy Kuri Bil.” Because the region is dominated by haors, rice cultivation is the main agricultural activity. Most people here depend on rice farming for their livelihood, while many also rely on fishing alongside farming. A large quantity of rice is produced in this region. Sunamganj is among the top ten districts in Bangladesh in terms of Boro rice production, often achieving bumper harvests. Along with Boro rice, Aman rice and various hybrid rice varieties are also cultivated. About 63% of the land in this region is used for Boro rice cultivation. Every year, hundreds of thousands of metric tons of rice are produced here, contributing significantly to national food security. In addition to rice, other crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, maize, garlic, green chilies, peanuts, and various leafy vegetables are also grown. However, the unfortunate reality is that despite such hard work, farmers do not receive fair prices for their produce. They work day and night, sweating tirelessly to grow crops, yet the benefits shown in various agricultural development reports are largely captured by middlemen. As a result, farmers remain trapped in frustration. Even after transporting truckloads of produce to markets, farmers fail to receive fair compensation for their labor. Consequently, many farmers are losing interest in agriculture and shifting to other professions, posing a serious threat to national food security. Farmers are our food producers. If they continue abandoning agriculture, the country may face severe food shortages in the future, which would negatively affect the national economy. Among the many reasons behind farmers’ frustration and reluctance toward agriculture are frequent floods and the impacts of climate change. Due to upstream hill torrents, Sunamganj experiences floods almost every year, often without any advance warning. The lack of adequate embankments in haor areas allows floodwaters to easily inundate and destroy farmers’ hard-earned crops. Even where embankments exist, greedy fishermen sometimes illegally release water from embankments to catch fish. Additionally, during peak flood seasons, some haors suffer from water shortages, disrupting irrigation and hampering cultivation. These factors combined have pushed many farmers to abandon agriculture.At the same time, the dominance of middlemen in markets continues to grow. Middlemen buy produce from rural farmers at very low prices and sell it at much higher rates. Due to the lack of adequate storage facilities and fear of spoilage especially for perishable vegetables farmers are forced to sell their produce cheaply. As a result, middlemen profit while farmers are deprived of fair prices. Most areas in this region lack government storage facilities, and even where government warehouses exist, farmers are often unable to sell rice there due to excuses such as insufficient drying. Furthermore, there is a lack of transparency in the distribution of agricultural loans and subsidies. Although the government has introduced various agricultural loans and subsidies for farmers’ welfare, many bank loans carry interest rates 8–9 percent higher than normal, making repayment difficult for farmers. Often, crops are damaged, and loan money is spent on children’s education or medical expenses, causing the debt burden to double. In subsidy distribution, the influence of wealthy individuals is evident. Marginal and poor farmers are frequently deprived, while subsidies are allocated repeatedly to members of the same affluent families or their relatives. In many cases, due to corruption, farmers receive less than the allocated subsidy amount. Above all, high prices of agricultural machinery and labor shortages are pushing farmers further behind. While modern technology has entered agriculture, the high cost of machinery makes it nearly impossible for farmers in this region to purchase them. Labor shortages also prevent timely harvesting, resulting in crop losses and further discouragement among farmers. To address these challenges, adequate embankments must first be constructed in haor areas to prevent floodwaters from destroying crops. Government warehouses should be built in every market so that farmers are not forced to sell produce at low prices due to fear of spoilage. The dominance of middlemen must be reduced, and farmers must be ensured fair prices. Interest rates on agricultural loans should be lowered to encourage farmers to take loans, as most farmers in this region are marginal cultivators who cannot farm without credit. Transparency must be ensured in subsidy distribution, reducing the influence of wealthy elites. The government should develop short-duration and flood-tolerant rice varieties to minimize flood damage. Without addressing these issues, more farmers will abandon agriculture, posing a serious threat to national food security. As Bangladesh is an agriculture-based country, saving farmers means saving the nation. Farmers toil relentlessly to produce food for us; protecting their dignity and interests is our moral responsibility. The government must pay greater attention to this sector. Local agricultural departments should be more proactive and monitor markets effectively. Improved training programs should be arranged for rural farmers. This problem cannot be solved by the government alone; collective effort is essential. Only then can we build a prosperous, fertile, and golden Bangladesh.