Salahuddin Kazol, Jibannagar (Chuadanga)
Farmers in Jibannagar upazila of Chuadanga are now busy extracting the golden fibre from jute after harvesting and retting the crop.
Scenes of farmers retting jute and extracting its fibre can be seen at canals, wetlands, marshes, ponds and other water bodies across the upazila. With timely rainfall and favourable weather, farmers are expecting a good yield this year. Strong demand and relatively good prices in the market have also brought smiles to their faces.
A visit to the canals and wetlands of Jibannagar found farmers busy with various stages of jute processing. Some were harvesting and retting the crop, while others were extracting the golden fibre and drying the jute sticks and fibre in the sun. Women were also seen helping to dry the fibre alongside the men.
Moslem Uddin, a jute farmer from Simanta Union, said he had cultivated jute on two and a half bighas of land this year.
“The plants have grown well because of timely rainfall. I expect to harvest eight to 10 maunds of jute per bigha. There has also been enough water in the river this year, so we have had no difficulty retting the jute properly. I hear the market price is fairly good. If prices remain at this level, we should be able to make some profit,” he said.
Abu Mia, a jute farmer from Uthali village, said the crop had performed well this year.
“By the grace of Allah, we have had a good jute crop. We are now extracting the fibre. There is also strong demand for jute sticks. They are selling for Tk 50 per bundle, and people are collecting them directly from the wetlands at their own expense. Selling the sticks will help us recover some of our production costs. We will now take the fibre home, make drying racks with bamboo and dry it in the sun,” he said.
A market survey found that jute is currently selling for Tk 3,200 to Tk 3,500 per maund. Higher prices are being offered for fibre with a good colour.
There is also considerable demand for jute sticks, which are selling for Tk 40 to Tk 50 per bundle. Farmers say income from the sticks is helping them recover part of their production costs.
Jibannagar Agriculture Officer Alamgir Hossain said the soil in the upazila is suitable for jute cultivation.
“Jute has been cultivated on a total of 1,620 hectares of land in the upazila this year. The yield has been good. As there has been adequate rainfall, farmers have not faced much difficulty in retting the jute. The current market price is also good. We hope farmers will receive fair prices for their produce,” he said. #EK
