'Tens of millions of farmers could not sow summer rice as their farmlands have dried up,' said Ruhul Amin, the government's food planning chief. Photo courtesy AFP.

Dhaka (AFP) July 21, 2009 – A delay to Bangladesh’s monsoon season is posing a severe risk of drought in the impoverished nation and threatening food supplies, officials warned Tuesday. Monsoon rains normally sweep Bangladesh from June to September and the South Asian country gets more than 75 percent of its annual rainfall during this period but a lack of rain is hampering crop potential. “For weeks there have been no rains in the northern and central districts, the country’s main food belt. Tens of millions of farmers could not sow summer rice as their farmlands have dried up,” said Ruhul Amin, the government’s food planning chief. “If no rain comes in the next couple of weeks, it will be a severe drought,” he added. …

Drought threat for Bangladesh as monsoon fails