Easy retting of jute

The country's squeezing water bodies are part of the harsh realities besetting its agriculture. In spite of the occasional onslaughts of floods, the land is becoming drier. With rivers shrinking, canals disappearing and ponds and marshes being filled, the villages are fast losing their age-old swampy look. Nowhere has the new reality emerged with more dreadfulness than in agriculture, the jute cultivation in particular.

It is really sad to find that the jute growers face losses every year due to the lack of enough water to ret, or rot, their jute plants in. In the absence of water bodies, the farmers are found retting their green jute stalks in whatever water-filled space they find in their localities. The practice allegedly leads to pollution of the otherwise usable water for household chores. Against this backdrop, it appears to be stunning that the 'ribbon retting' method for jute has yet to be in wide use. The method comprises a simple machine, which separates the raw jute bark from the stalk. All a farmer has then to do is dig a shallow water-filled ditch to rot the green jute. Many a cultivator in arid areas has been successfully retting their jute in this way. It is simple and keeps the farmers free of the worries about availability of sufficient water within easy reach. Moreover, it saves the cost of hiring labourers to do the job of separating jute from stalk manually. It's true the process involves the expenses for buying a 'ribbon retting' machine. If deemed a financial burden for individual farmers, the machine could be bought on a collective fund created with equal contributions of a group of farmers. The resultant benefits and dividend will far outweigh the pressure of one-time investment.

According to observers, the agricultural authorities concerned have not carried out adequate campaigns and advocacies to highlight the positive aspects of such an essential tool. This sounds incredible and sad that the farmers in the remote areas of the country continue to incur losses on their jute yields owing to the lack of retting facility. The Department of Agricultural Extension should swing into action to popularise ribbon retting among the jute growers.

Kazi Shafiul Alam

Talshahar,

Brahmanbaria