The jute farmers in Jhenaidah have been leaning towards Boro after not finding adequate water for jute rotting in the rivers and canals. Because of the decision of farmers in the area, it will reduce the jute farming area in the district and the target for jute fibre production will not be achieved in the season, said the farmers and concern people.
A number of farmers at Kalikapur and Kalicharanpur villages in Jhenaidah Sadar and Langalbandh area of Shailkupa upazila when contacted said they have been reducing the jute farming area gradually when the crisis of water for jute stick dumping was not solved.
The officials of the department of fisheries have been discouraging the farmers not to dump any jute in the river water for rotting purposes as the fish and other species in the water die every year for jute rotting purposes. Further, the polluted water causes diseases when the people use it for bathing and other purposes.
The farmers said usually they use the water of irrigation canals of the Ganges-Kobadak (GK) project under Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB). But the authorities as well as locals bar them from using the water for jute rotting purposes.
According to the office of the deputy director (DD) of the department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah, the farmers produced 62,865 tones of jute fibre on 22,860 hectares of land in the last season. They produced 2.75 tones of fibre on each hectare.
The farmers were scheduled to produce 62,900 tones of fibre on a total of 22,840 hectares of land in Jhenaidah Sadar, Kaliganj, Kotchandpur, Moheshpur, Shailkupa and Harinakundu upazilas in the current season.
But the farmers till may 5, brought 17,000 hectares of land under the farming. Another 300 hectares of land might be brought under the farming hardly in the season. There will be huge gap between the target and achievement.
DAE deputy director Asgar Ali when contacted said the farmers in the district have been reducing the area of jute farming and leaning towards Boro or other profitable crops when they could not solve the crisis of water for jute rotting.
Regarding ribbon rating of jute, the DAE official said the system could not see the ray of hope as each and every farmer do not have mini pond of water sources for ribbon rating at their houses.
Alternative system should be developed for jute rotting as well as the interest of the farmers, Asgar Ali opined.