RAJSHAHI: Officials and farmers concerned are expecting a bumper yield of jute as the plants are growing excellent now everywhere in the region including its vast Barind tract this season, reports BSS. Jute cultivation increased substantially as its farming on more 1,695 hectares of land has been achieved over the fixed target in the region comprising Rajshahi, Natore, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) had set a target for cultivating jute on 46,452 hectares of land whereas the farmers have finally brought 48,147 hectares under the cash crop farming.
Abdul Hannan, 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. "Eight to nine years back, the farmers lost their concentration to jute cultivation as they did not get fair prices of their produce," said the official.
Quality seeds, easy term bank loan for agri-inputs such as fertiliser, pesticides boosted jute cultivation in the region which made the farmers hopeful about forthcoming harvest jute. Jaidur Rahman, a grower of Karnahar village under Paba Upazila, said jute's good days has started returning back. For this reason, private sector jute mills in the region has been playing important role. Besides, the declaration of mandatory use of jute bags in government food grains has boosted love to jute.
Last year, initial market price was Taka 1500 to 1600 per mound. But, finally it was Taka 2,000. Rahman mentioned the price could have been more if there were no syndicate of middlemen and traders. He sought government intervention of controlling the syndicate to facilitate the farmers to get fair price.
Deb Dulal Dhali, Deputy Director of DAE, said jute farming has started getting brighter dimension through increasing its production and export, ensuring adequate supply of quality seed, disbursement of more incentives and adopting other effective measures. The farmers have started adopting the latest line sowing jute technology using seeder machines saving huge seed and reducing farming costs and ribbon-retting method to get quality fibre and more profit," he added.
He added that necessary measures are being taken for making the farmers habituated in promoting high yielding jute varieties for boosting its production. The growers are also being taken forward with modern varieties and technologies relating to the jute cultivation and decomposition for their benefits in the present competitive era.