Farmers busy harvesting jute

The harvesting of jute in Tangail and Manikganj districts is going on in full swing with much enthusiasm among the farmers. Meanwhile, farmers in Netrakona district are expecting to get a bumper yield of jute this year as the harvesting is nearing completion in 10 upazilas.

Our Tangail Correspondent says: Harvesting of jute is going on in full swing in 12 upazilas of the district. The growers are getting good yields and satisfactory prices of their produce, local sources informed.

Market sources also informed that the newly harvested jute is being sold at Tk 2500 to Tk 3000 per maund (40 kg) as per quality.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Tangail sources, in the current season growers of the district brought a total of 16,088 hectares of land under jute cultivation with the production of 17,7284 bales of fibre.

Of the total cultivated 16,088 hectares of land in the district, 3000 hectares were cultivated in Tangail sadar, 416 hectares in Bashail, 205 hectares in Modhupur, 260 hectares in Dhanbari, 1114 hectares in Mirzapur, 1461 hectares in Delduar, 1675 hectares in Nagorpur, 1080 hectares in Kalihati, 4085 hectares in Bhuapur, 1860 hectares in Gopalpur, 145 hectares in Shakhipur and 780 hectares of land in Ghatail upazilas.

Farmers have cultivated different high yielding varieties of jute and got bumper production, sources said.

The varieties are Tosha, Deshi, Mechhta and Kenaf. Among them Tosha variety is cultivated largely in the area, official sources said.

"I cultivated high yielding jute on two bighas of my land spending Tk 10,000 this season. I expect to get a good profit this year as market price is good and production is satisfactory", Moyezuddin, a farmer of Mamudpur village under Delduar upazila said.

Atowar Rahman, another jute grower at Baruha village under sadar upazila, said last year at the initial stage the price of jute was satisfactory but subsequently the price decreased. At present, market price is satisfactory but farmers are apprehensive of the next situation.

Sub-assistant of DAE Tangail, Nargis Akhter said jute cultivation in the area is expanding as the farmers achieved high yield and good profit in the recent years.

Adequate agri-inputs and congenial weather condition have favoured jute cultivation in the current year and high yielding seeds helped to get a bumper production, sources added.

BSS reports from Manikganj, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said a total of 3,750 hectares of land were brought under jute cultivation in all seven upazilas of the district with the production target of 43,588 bales of jute during the current season.

Of those, 3,200 hectares were brought under Tosha variety with the production target of 38,400 bales, 500 hectares under local variety with the production target of 4,749 bales and 50 hectares under Kenaf variety with the yield target of 439 bales of jute.

The cultivation of jute has been increasing every year in the district and the growers are getting fair prices for their products.

Abdul Alim, 50, a farmer of Charigram village under Singair upazila said, "We are interested in cultivating jute because it gives us cash money during the lean period."

Sticks of jute are also used for different household purposes including fencing and cooking, he added.

Md. Lal Mia, 50, of village Kellai under Ghior upazila, said, "I have cultivated jute on two bighas of land this year and I am expecting good production."

The cultivators are not worried about retting of the jute plants this time as there is adequate waters in ditches and canals, even somewhere in the jute field.

Md. Shahjahan Ali Biswas, Deputy Director of DAE, said the jute cultivators are interested in jute cultivation as they get good price for their product and they are getting all kinds of support from the government including quality seeds and fertilisers.

In Netrakona, the jute cultivators in the district are passing busy time for separating jute fibres from the harvested jute plants, and rotting the fibres in natural open water bodies amid frequent rainfall.

Officials of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Netrakona, said jute cultivators could bring a total of 4,910 hectares of land under jute cultivation during the current season, which is less than only 20 hectares of the targeted land.

They said a target was fixed to produce 45,230 bales of jute from 4,930 hectares of land in the district.

Meanwhile, the farmers and crops specialists of the DAE are expecting a bumper production of jute in the district after seeing the better output of the jute in everywhere of the district.

Deputy Director of DAE FM Mubarak Ali said it has been possible for the farmers to get better output of jute as the government ensured proper supply of improved quality seeds, fertilisers and other agricultural equipment to the door-steps of the jute growers to help them run their jute cultivation network properly and enhance jute production.

Besides, following the directives of the government, the field-level officials and crops specialists of DAE rendered their field-level service to let the jute cultivators know about the modern methods of boosting jute production through using latest technologies and harvesting better quality of jute fibres, he said.

"Ninety per cent of jute plants have already been harvested so far, and the rest of the jute plants will be harvested within a week," he added.

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