Cyclone Michaung dents potato, mustard production in Bangladesh

Cyclone Michaung, despite making landfall in India, unleashed relentless rain on Bangladesh for two consecutive days, causing widespread damage to crucial crops, particularly devastating potato fields in Munshiganj and disrupting mustard production across various districts. According to the government's preliminary damage report, 13,877 hectares of land with potato plantations have been damaged in 15 districts, including Munshiganj, Narsingdi, and Manikganj. In Munshiganj alone, renowned for its potato production, 12,762 hectares have suffered damage from the cyclone's impact out of the district's 16,200 hectares cultivated for potato production. Analyzing the damage report and production figures, The Business Standard has found that, given a potato yield of 22.90 tonnes per hectare in FY23, the projected loss stands at an estimated 3.18 lakh tonnes of potatoes from the impacted land. This translates into a substantial financial setback of approximately Tk1,600 crore, even when ...