NATIONAL
Chattogram floods kill over 1.12 lakh livestock & poultry; losses exceed Tk30 crore
Chattogram floods killed 1,12,827 livestock and poultry across five districts, causing estimated losses of Tk30.15 crore, mainly from destroyed feed.
FARABI SAIFULLAH
MSNBC
BIONIC READING
In a Nutshell:
- Floodwaters killed 1,12,827 livestock and poultry across five districts, including 46 cattle, 123 goats, 40 sheep, 1,11,098 chickens and 1,521 ducks, with the deaths alone valued at Tk3.78 crore.
- The Divisional Department of Livestock Services compiled the assessment, released on 12 July, covering losses to farmers across 156 unions in 36 upazilas of Chattogram division.
- Feed destruction, not animal deaths, drove most of the loss. Some 18,468 tonnes of straw, grass and concentrated feed were wiped out, worth Tk25.45 crore, alongside 33 damaged livestock offices and 2,126 acres of flooded grazing land.
Why it Matters
The headline animal death count tells only part of the story. The larger blow is to the feed and farm infrastructure that farmers depend on to keep surviving animals alive and to recover once the water drains away.
- Feed accounts for Tk25.45 crore of the Tk30.15 crore total, meaning the households whose animals survived now face a severe shortage of straw, grass and concentrated feed
- Officials stated the numbers are preliminary and could rise once floodwaters recede and field teams complete on-the-ground reassessments, so the Tk30.15 crore figure represents a floor rather than a settled total.
Who it matters to
The loss lands hardest on small farmers and the government agencies now tasked with helping them rebuild a food-producing sector mid-monsoon.
- With over 1.11 lakh chickens dead and feed stocks destroyed, farmers face both an immediate income loss and the ongoing cost of keeping remaining animals fed. Those in Chattogram district, where losses top Tk28 crore, are the most exposed, though farmers across all five districts have seen grazing land submerged and feed reserves ruined.
- The death of more than a lakh birds and thousands of other animals, combined with disrupted farm operations across 65 farms, points to reduced local supply of poultry, meat and related products in the affected districts, with pressure that could persist until stocks and feed are replenished.