Acute scarcity of rainwater, caused by prevailing drought-like situation, has been severely hampering the process of rotting harvested jute plants frustrating the farmers almost everywhere in the northern region.
According to the officials and experts in the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) and Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI), uncertainty has now gripped the farmers following no rainfalls in recent weeks at this peak hour of the rainy season.
Talking to BSS today, Principal Scientific Officer of Rangpur Regional Station of BJRI Dr Mohammad Ayub Khan said the drought-like situation has occurred following global climate change affecting every sector including agriculture.
He suggested the farmers to adopt the lowest-cost and easiest ribbon- retting method for rotting harvested jute plants under drought like situation, as it will significantly improve the quality of the fibre and help them in getting its higher market price.
Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur Region Kamal Kumar Sarker today said all officials and employees of the DAE have already been directed to assist the farmers in using ribbon-retting method for rotting jute plants amid scarcity of rainwater.
Both the experts suggested the farmers for rotting harvested jute plants through creating temporary artificial water reservoirs at lower places and low-lands by providing irrigated water till adequate rainfalls come down.
According to the DAE sources, the farmers have cultivated jute on about 1.97 lakh hectares land this season in the northern region, about 28,000 hectares or 13 percent less than the fixed target of bringing over 2.25 lakh hectares land under jute cultivation.
Horticulture Specialist of the DAE Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said the fixed jute farming target could not be achieved this season as farmers faced hurdles in sowing seed due to drought-like situation at the initial stages, crop diversification and other reasons.
The DAE has fixed a target of producing over 24.11 lakh bales of jute fibre from over 2.25 lakh hectares of land for the current season in the northern region.
Under the programme, the farmers were to produce 22.37 lakh bales of ‘Tosha’ variety jute fibre from 2.05 lakh hectares of land, 1.44 lakh bales of ‘Deshi’ variety fibre from 16,836 hectares and 30,228 bales of ‘Mechhta’ variety jute from 3,664 hectares in the region this year.
However, the farmers have finally 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.
So far, the farmers have completed jute harvest in about 1.03 lakh hectares land, which is about 52.28 percent of the total cultivated land area in the region, the sources said.
Talking to BSS, farmers Abdul Momin, Norendra Nath and Kutub Sarker of different villages said they are trying to rot their harvested jute plants by putting those under mud and water hyacinth plants due to water scarcity.
