Higher yield, prices bring cheer to Rajshahi jute growers

RAJSHAHI, Aug 25 (BSS): Farmers are overjoyed as they are getting good yield of jute and the higher prices of the golden fiber everywhere in the region during the current season.
Rafiqul Islam (45), a resident of Devipur village under Durgapur upazila in the district, has got around 12 mounds of jute, cultivating it on two bighas of land.
In the initial stage, he sold his produce at Tk 3,200 per mound in the local markets, saying the current price is higher this year than in the previous seasons.
Apart from this, he got jute sticks worth around Tk 6,000 from the farming. Bazler Rahman (38), another farmer of Roipara village under the same upazila, has sold his jute at Tk 3,000 per mound, saying the return has alleviated all his sufferings and financial crisis he faced before the selling.
Rahman said many of the enthusiastic farmers were seen going towards the Durgapur and Taherpur markets with dry jute laden-trolleys and human haulers.
He, however, said the jute fiber was being sold at Tk 2,800 per mound during the last couple of days.
Like them, many other farmers expressed their happiness over the expected yield and price.
Meanwhile, harvesting of jute is progressing fast everywhere in all eight districts under Rajshahi division in the current season with a prediction of better yield amid the present favourable climatic.
Currently, most of the growers along with their family members are very busy harvesting, decomposing, segregating and transporting for selling of jute, generating seasonal job opportunities for many people, including the marginalised and ethnic minorities.
Jute farming has exceeded target this season as interest among the growers to the cash crop farming is seen increasing everywhere in the division including its vast Barind tract.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set a target of producing around 1.45 million bales of jute from 0.22 million hectares of land in the division during the current season.
Target has been set to produce 0.560 million bales of jute from 48,827 hectares of land in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Natore districts under Rajshahi Agricultural Zone, while 0.89 million bales from 77,986 hectares of land in Bogura, Joypurhat, Pabna and Sirajganj districts under Bogura Agricultural Zone.
Officials and farmers are very much hopeful about harvesting better jute yield in the country's northwest region this season.
Farmers are very much interested in jute farming as they are getting lucrative prices for its produce during the last couple of years giving a message of getting back to the golden era of the cash crop in near future.
Abdur Razzaque, a farmer of Shreepur village under Paba upazila, said jute's golden era has started returning back.
He said the role of private jute mills and the government's declaration about the mandatory use of jute bags in packaging public food grains boosted jute cultivation.
Last year, the initial market price of jute was Tk 1400 to 1500 per mound. But, finally the price stood at Tk 5,200-5,500 per mound, he said.
Razzaque mentioned that the price could have been more if there were no syndicate of middlemen and traders. He sought government intervention in controlling the syndicate to facilitate the farmers to get fair prices.
He said farmers got fair prices of jute during the last couple of years and as a result, they are now eager to cultivate more jute.
DAE Additional Director Shamsul Wadud said jute farming has started getting a brighter dimension through increasing its production and adopting other effective measures.
The farmers have started adopting the latest line sowing jute technology using seeders machines saving huge seed and reducing farming costs and ribbon-retting method to get quality fiber and more profit.