BSS, Rangpur :The adequate rainfall in recent days brought huge relief and enabled the farmers harvesting and rotting jute easily side by side with transplantation of Aman seedling everywhere in the northern districts.The farmers have already completed harvesting jute on 1.92 lakh hectares of land, which is 97.5 percent of the total cultivated land area of over 1.97 lakh hectares, and are very happy now getting better price of the fibre this season, official sources said.The recent drought-like situation put jute farmers into an uncertainty when moderate rainfall in recent days eased the situation enabling them in harvesting and rotting jute to get best quality fibre with better colour amid adequate rainwater all-around now.Currently, there is adequate rainwater in the low-lying areas everywhere for rotting the harvested jute plants and its harvest is expected to complete by this month end, officials in the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) and farmers said.According to sources in the bigger jute markets, farmers, DAE, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI), the newly harvested jute is being sold at rates between Taka 1,400 and 1,600 per maund (every 40 kg) depending on their varieties and qualities.Farmers Yasin Ali, Abdul Hamid and Rahim Uddin said they faced initial problems in rotting harvested jute plants and separating jute fibre in the beginning of the harvesting season due to drought-like situation and they are now doing the same easily.Horticulture Specialist of the DAE Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said jute plants grew well amid favourable climatic condition and later, an uncertainty gripped the growers due to the recent drought caused by adverse impacts of climate change.Principal Scientific Officer of Rangpur Regional Station of the BJRI Dr Ayub Ali today told BSS that the farmers are happy now following adequate rainfall in recent days and they are getting better quality, grade and colour of the fibre with fair price now.According to the DAE sources, a target of producing over 24.11 lakh bales of jute fibre from over 2.25 lakh hectares of land has been fixed for the current season in the northern districts.However, the farmers have cultivated jute on about 1.97 lakh hectares of land this season in the northern districts, about 28,000 hectares or 13 percent less than the fixed target of bringing over 2.25 lakh hectares land under its cultivation.Under the programme, the farmers have cultivated ‘Tosha’ variety jute on over 1.79 lakh hectares of land, ‘Deshi’ variety on 13,635 hectares, ‘Mechhta’ variety on 4,607 hectares and ‘Kenaf’ variety jute on 2,275 hectares of land this season.
