As Cyclone Hamoon is heading towards the coastal districts of Bangladesh, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has issued an urgent advisory for farmers, urging them to immediately harvest transplanted Aman paddy once it reaches 80 percent maturity.

If the paddy is not harvested, there will be the possibility of severe crop damage caused by the cyclone.

Aman is the second biggest rice crop in the country, accounting for over 38 percent of total rice production. Farmers transplanted the paddy on 58 lakh hectares until September of this year, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and the DAE.

According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), the depression over the Bay of Bengal has formed into a cyclonic storm which is expected to move north-northeastwards and intensify over the next three days.

It is estimated that it will cross near the Cox's Bazar coast on Thursday morning, with heavy wind speeds of around 110kph.

The BMD has asked the maritime ports of Chattogram and Payra to hoist danger signal 7 while Cox's Bazar and Mongla were asked to raise danger signal 6 and 5 respectively.

Other coastal districts, including Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Barishal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barguna, Lakshmipur, Chandpur and Bhola, are bracing for impact as well.

The southern bay and coastal areas of Bangladesh will likely face heavy (44-88mm) to very heavy (up to 89mm or more) rainfall, accompanied by gusty winds.

This will have a big impact on both standing crops and cultivation of crops.

The government is taking necessary measures to save the people of the coastal areas. They are being taken to shelters and have also been urged to stay alert and follow instructions from the authorities.