Business Desk :
Export prospects of jute produced in the region is very bright as its production side by side with demand of jute and jutegoods has gradually been rising for the last couple of years.
Kazi Saidur Rahman, Assistant Director of Export Promotion of Bangladesh (EPB), here said lion portions of jute produced in the country’s northwest region are being exported to nearby India, reports, BSS.
He informed jute valued at around one crore US dollar were exported from the region last year.
Masudur Rahman, President of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said Indian businessmen import jute from the region and export jute goods to many other foreign countries after processing.
He opined that businessmen of the region can’t catch foreign buyers due to various reasons, including language complexities, and the Indian businessmen are taking advantage of the situation.
Side by side with the Indian buyers, if the local businessmen can catch buyers of other countries a new door will open up in the field of jute export from the region.
EPB Assistant Director Saidur Rahman said there are enormous prospects of exporting jute and jute goods from the region. To this end, increasing the number of new entrepreneurs in this field is needed.
Emphasis should be given on encouraging the foreign buyers to invest here.
Apart from this, existing problems should be solved with special initiatives for exploring the door of prospects.
Rahman also said they are working to export jute and jute goods in tax-free manner to the countries under the SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement
(SAPTA). Meanwhile, farmers are happy as they are getting satisfactory yield and market price of jute everywhere in the region during the current season.
Jute farming has exceeded target this season as interest among the growers to the cash crop farming is seen increasing everywhere in the division including its vast Barind tract.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set a target of producing around 14.53 lakh bales of jute from 2.22 lakh hectares of land in the division during the current season.
Target has been set to produce 5.60 lakh bales of jute from 48,827 hectares of land in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Natore districts under Rajshahi Agricultural Zone, while 8.93 lakh bales from 77,986 hectares of land in Bogura, Joypurhat, Pabna and Sirajganj districts under Bogura Agricultural Zone.
DAE Additional Director Nazrul Islam said jute farming has started getting a brighter dimension through increasing its production and adopting other effective measures.
The farmers are adopting the latest line sowing jute technology using seeders machines saving huge seed and reducing farming costs and ribbon-retting method to get quality fiber and more profit.
Islam said necessary measures are being taken for making the farmers habituated in promoting high yielding jute varieties for boosting its production.
Rafiqul Islam, 45, a resident of Devipur village under Durgapur upazila in the district, has harvested around 12 mounds of jute fibre from two bigha of land. In the initial stage, he sold his products at Taka 3,200 per mounds in local markets, saying the current price is higher compared to the previous seasons. Apart from this, he got jute sticks worth around Taka 6,000 from the farming.
Bazler Rahman, 38, another farmer of Roipara village under the same upazila, has sold his jute at Taka 3,000 per mound, saying the return has mitigated all his sufferings and financial crises faced before the selling.
Rahman said many of the enthusiastic farmers were seen humming towards the Durgapur and Taherpur markets with dry jute riding on trolleys and human haulers.
He, however, said the jute fiber is being sold at Taka 2,800 per mound during the last couple of days.
