Ribbon retting tech to process jute lags behind in Nilphamari

NILPHAMARI, Aug 10: Adoption of ribbon retting technology by the jute farmers to process jute failed to increase substantially as expected in Nilphmari district despite acute shortage of water bodies including ponds, canals and so on to decompose jute plants.

DAE sources said ribbon retting is a technology to separate ribbon from jute sticks and rot those in ditch to get the desired golden fibre.

In this technology separated ribbon is kept under water of ditch to decompose those properly. The size of a ditch should be six metres in length, two metres in breadth and one metre in depth where fibres are kept under water for about 12 days.

The technology was introduced in Nilphamari district three years earlier and DAE distributed 550 ribbon machines to the farmers across the district. The government also provided financial support of Tk 200 to each jute grower under this new scheme. DAE officials also provided need based training to the farmers in organised groups.

However still there remains acute shortage of water bodies to decompose jute sticks as a result of which low quality fibre are being produced culminating in low price to the farmers.    abumusa88@gmail.com