Bangladesh, May 3 -- Farmers across the haor basin and coastal districts are facing acute distress after heavy rainfall and early flooding destroyed vast areas of standing crops, dealing a serious blow to food production and the rural economy.

Official estimates show that crops worth more than Tk 3,346 crore have been lost so far, affecting nearly 1.4 million farmers in 23 districts amid Bangladesh recorded 75 per cent above-normal rainfall in April, fuelled by multiple western depressions, while six river stations in northeastern haor regions exceeded pre-monsoon danger levels, meteorologists and flood forecasters said on Saturday.

The worst-hit areas include the northeastern haor districts of Kishoreganj, Habiganj and Sunamganj, along...