Desk Report: Jute cultivation in the district has been reduced by about 40 percent this year compared to last year, mostly due to unfavourable weather condition.
Jute was cultivated on 20,228 hectares of land last year, producing 2,01,890 bales of fibre, said Shariful Islam, a sub-assistant agriculture officer at the district Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).
The target was 19,980 hectares of land this year with a production target of 2,12,652 bales of fibre, he said, adding that it was, however, cultivated on only 12,498 hectares.
Of these, 2,550 hectares are in Sadar upazila, 595 hectares in Kalihati, 3,762 hectares in Bhuapur, 1,225 hectares in Delduar, 995 hectares in Nagarpur, 121 hectares in Madhupur, 140 hectares in Sakhipur, 840 hectares in Mirzapur, 1,310 hectares in Gopalpur, 168 hectares in Dhanbari, 290 hectares in Basail and 502 hectares in Ghatail upazilas, he added.
Farmer Zakir Hossain in Sadar upazila said he had cultivated jute on 66 decimals of land last year. However, he could cultivate it on only 16 decimals this year due to heavy rain during the time of sowing the seeds, he added.
DAE Deputy Director Md Abdur Razzak said many farmers in the district could not cultivate jute this year mainly due to incessant rain during the Bangla month of Chaitra, the sowing season of jute seeds.
Increasing Boro paddy cultivation was another reason behind the decline in jute farming, he said.
However, the yield and prices of jute were looking better compared to last year, he added.
Farmer Jiar Ali in Delduar upazila said he has cultivated jute on two acres of land this year and the yield is looking better than last year.
He had got 40 maunds of fibre from the same amount of land last year and sold the fibre at Tk 2,000 per maund at the local market, he said.
He has already harvested his jute and is rotting it at the nearby water body, he said. Good quality of jute fibre was selling at Tk 2,200 a maund at local markets, he added.
“I have spent Tk 35,000 for the cultivation, including costs for ploughing, fertilisers, insecticides and labourers. I shall have to spend Tk 10,000 more as labour cost for washing the fibre. I expect I can sell my fibre as well as jute sticks for around Tk 1 lakh this year,” he added.