Our Correspondent :
Due to the sudden increase in the price of jute last year, interest of farmers in jute cultivation has also been increased. As a result, in the current season, jute has been planted in different villages and remote char lands of Gafargaon upazila of Mymensingh more than the target.
The country has got bumper yield of golden fiber due to low cost of fertilizers, seeds and other ancillary costs and favorable weather. Meanwhile, now is the right time to cut jute. But due to lack of rain in the upazila during the rainy season, there is no water in rivers, canals, beels and ponds.
Navigable tidal waters have not entered the Brahmaputra tributaries of Mymensingh district. As a result, the local jute farmers are in dire straits as they are not able to cut the jute and create the necessary water crisis.
According to the Agriculture Office, the target for jute this year was set at 3,112 hectares of land in 15 unions and one municipality of the upazila on flat and uneven land in different villages and char areas. However, jute has been planted in 4,400 hectares of land exceeding this target. There are 2,500 hectares of native jute and 500 hectares of Tosha variety and other varieties of jute.
Currently, there is no rain even in the monsoon season. As a result, river-ditch-canal-beel submergence is still dry. So they are cutting the jute and tying the knots and spreading it on the ground waiting for the rain. As a result, the quality of jute is getting damaged by drying in the sun.
The Brahmaputra river is about one and a half kilometers away from the jute land. The cost of labor is much higher by carrying jute seeds so far. The farmers fear that the yield of jute produced will be less. Therefore, the local jute farmers said that they will suffer financially by cultivating jute.
Saiful Islam, a jute farmer from Char Algi Union of the upazila, Mofiz Uddin, a jute farmer from Malimara Char village in Panchbagh Union, Helal Uddin from Char Shakhchura village and many others said that they cultivated a lot of jute this year due to high market price.
But now the jute is drying up due to lack of water. So they have to count the losses in jute, they said.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Agriculturist Anwar Hossain said, “Despite the temporary water crisis, we are advising the farmers to soak the jute in water in an alternative way.”
