1.41 lakh tonnes of jute output likely in Rajshahi division

Around 1.41 lakh tonnes of jute are expected to be produced from 1.19 lakh hectares of land in all eight districts in Rajshahi division during the current season.Officials and farmers are very much hopeful about harvesting better jute yield everywhere in the country’s northwest region including its vast Barind tract this season. Currently, the farmers were seen taking care of the jute plants amid favourable climate conditions with the hope of getting expected yield.
The enthusiastic farmers were also seen showing interests to cultivate jute after getting its repeated bumper production and lucrative market price in recent years.
Sudherndra Nath Roy, Additional Director of DAE, said farmers got fair prices of jute during the last couple of years and as a result, they are now eager to cultivate more jute.
“Nine to ten years back, the farmers lost interest in jute cultivation as they did not get fair prices,” said the official.
Quality seeds, easy term bank loans for agri-inputs such as fertiliser, pesticides boosted jute cultivation in the region which made the farmers hopeful about good yield.
Jaidur Rahman, a grower of Karnahar village under Paba Upazila, said jute’s golden era has started returning back.
The present government has declared jute as national agricultural product and made use of jute sacs mandatory in various sectors to popularise its cultivation and increase demand for ensuring fair price.
He said the role of private jute mills and government’s declaration about the mandatory use of jute bags in packaging public food grains boosted jute cultivation.
Last year, the initial market price of jute was Taka 1400 to 1500 per mound. But, finally the price stood at Taka 1800-2,000 per mound, he said.
Rahman mentioned the price could have been more if there were no syndicate of middlemen and traders.
He sought government intervention in controlling the syndicate to facilitate the farmers to get fair prices.
Agriculturist Sudherndra Roy said the farmers have started adopting the latest technology to cultivate jute like using seeder machines which is saving huge seed and reducing farming costs.
Necessary training and inputs have been provided to farmers for separating and rotting of jute fibre adopting latest technologies to ensure better quality to enable them in getting higher price of their produced jute.
He said farmers are also using ribbon-retting methods to get quality fiber.
He added that necessary measures are being taken for making the farmers habituated in promoting high yielding jute varieties for boosting its production.
Commissioner of Rajshahi division Humayun Kabir Khandaker said enhanced farming of jute could revive the past glory of the golden fiber ushering a new era in the economy as well as saving the environment and soil health from further degradation.
Because of Eco-friendly characters with a quick rotting system, demand for jute has been increasing fast in the developed countries, he added, reports BSS from Rajshahi.