BSS, Rajshahi :
Jute harvesting is progressing fast everywhere in the division as the farmers are delighted for satisfactory yield and market price at present.
Farmers along with their family members irrespective of age and gender are seen engaged in different works including harvesting, transporting, decomposing and segregation.
Rafiqul Islam, a resident of Salua village under Charghat Upazila, has cultivated jute on three bigha of land at a cost of around Taka 17,000. He harvested around 35 maunds of raw jute.
Islam said the newly harvested jute is being sold at Taka 3,000 to 3,500 per maund on an average in local markets at present.
He also said they got satisfactory yields due to better quality seed, suitable climate conditions and availability of water bodies for jute decomposition. Siddiqur Rahman, another farmer of Debipur village under Durgapur upazila, has cultivated jute on two bighas of land, saying the frequent rainfall benefited the growing plants to a greater extent.
He has spent 15,000 to 16,000 for farming. He is expecting around 20 maunds yield valued around Taka 45,000 to 50,000. Apart from this, he will get jute sticks worth around 5,000 from the farming.
He had sold jute at Taka 2,000 per maund during the previous year’s harvesting time but its price increased gradually.
Meanwhile, the newly harvested jute has started appearing in the markets abundantly. 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 Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set a target of producing around 2.62 lakh tonnes of jute from 1.25 lakh hectares of land in the division during the current season.
But, the farmers have brought 1.29 lakh hectares under the jute farming creating scopes of additional production, said Sirajul Islam, Additional Director of DAE. Farmers are humming towards the jute farming as they are getting lucrative prices for its produce during the last couple of years, paving the way of getting back to the golden era of the cash crop in near future. Abdur Razzaque, a farmer of Shreepur village under Paba Upazila, said jute’s golden era has started returning back.
He said the role of private jute mills and the government’s declaration about the mandatory use of jute bags in packaging public food grains boosted jute cultivation.
In the previous year, the initial market price of jute was Taka 1400 to 1500 per maund. But, finally the price stood at Taka 5,200-5,500 per maund, he said.
Agriculturist Sirajul Islam said the farmers have started 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.
DAE Deputy Director Abdul Awal said necessary measures are being taken for making the farmers habituated in promoting high yielding jute varieties for boosting its production.
