Jhenaidah farmers likely to get better cotton output this year
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Our Correspondent
JHENAIDAH, Jan 9: Farmers in the district again have got inspiration in cotton cultivation as they expect to get a good rate per maund than previous years.
Besides, the variety they cultivated was attacked by warms and production quantity per bigha was not up to the mark. This year the new variety will grow double and it is free from pest. As a result, the farmers will enjoy a gross benefit from cotton farming this year.
According to the Cotton Development Board (CDB), the farmers usually cultivated CB-9 and CB-10 varieties of cotton seeds in the past, which could not exceed the production of seven tonnes per hectare.
The CB-9 and CB-10 offered seven to eight mounds on a bigha, while the CDB introduced high yielding Rupali HSC and Lalteer, are expected to offer 18 to 20 mounds per hectare.
Farmers in the district said, they were selling their cotton seeds from Tk 1,800 to Tk 2,000 a mound, while the rate might be Tk 2,200 to Tk 2,400 this year and the production would be more than double this season.
They said, a farmer has to spend about Tk 10,000 for land leasing, seeds, fertilisers, irrigation water supply, pesticides and day-labourers for one bigha of land that might increase at least Tk 25,000 this season.
CDB unit officer of Kotchandpur Upazila Nazrul Islam said, the farmers were at a loss as the ball warms affect the cotton balls and leafs badly on CB-9 and CB-10 varieties.
But they were able to convince the farmers as the new varieties were almost free from pest attack in the balls as well as leaves. Further, the production rate will help them from the current season, Mr Islam said.
Chief Cotton Development Officer (Jessore) MA Hannan said, they brought 3,375 hectares in Jhenaidah and Magura districts with the target of 4,000 hectares this year.
Some 3,500 hectares were brought under cotton cultivation in Jhenaidah and Magura districts last year, but the rate of cotton per mound despaired the growers, he said.
The farmers had lost their confidence to bring their lands under cotton farming. The new varieties will encourage the farmers to go ahead in the cotton farming next as it might benefit them, he added.
Further, the CDB purchases cotton seeds and non-cotton seeds from the farmers to ensure optimum price, Mr Hannan said.
Tabibur Rahman, a ginner of cotton seeds at Kotchandpur said, the ginners play role to provide benefit to the cotton farmers as the price fixed by CDB was not satisfactory for the farmers.
Rahman said, there are only eight cotton seed ginning factories in the region. Four ginning mills are in Kushtia and one each in Chuadanga, Kotchandpur, Jhikargachha and Keshabpur.
The ginners separate the fibre from the seeds and process the seeds for both oil and oil cakes.
He informed, usually the traditional variety of cotton seeds had provided half inch length of fibre, while the length will exceed one and a quarter inch this season. It will help farmers a lot.
Abdul Khalek, a cotton grower of Safderpur, said, he has cultivated cotton one bigha this year.
He added that if they got better production from this new variety and handsome rate ensured by the government, they would cultivate more cotton in the coming season.
Abdul Majed, another cotton grower of Kotchandpur Upazila, said, it is profitable farming than traditional crops.
He added that they demand quality seeds as the seeds have been supplied this year, which is free from pest and it will give more production than the previous years.
JHENAIDAH, Jan 9: Farmers in the district again have got inspiration in cotton cultivation as they expect to get a good rate per maund than previous years.
Besides, the variety they cultivated was attacked by warms and production quantity per bigha was not up to the mark. This year the new variety will grow double and it is free from pest. As a result, the farmers will enjoy a gross benefit from cotton farming this year.
According to the Cotton Development Board (CDB), the farmers usually cultivated CB-9 and CB-10 varieties of cotton seeds in the past, which could not exceed the production of seven tonnes per hectare.
The CB-9 and CB-10 offered seven to eight mounds on a bigha, while the CDB introduced high yielding Rupali HSC and Lalteer, are expected to offer 18 to 20 mounds per hectare.
Farmers in the district said, they were selling their cotton seeds from Tk 1,800 to Tk 2,000 a mound, while the rate might be Tk 2,200 to Tk 2,400 this year and the production would be more than double this season.
They said, a farmer has to spend about Tk 10,000 for land leasing, seeds, fertilisers, irrigation water supply, pesticides and day-labourers for one bigha of land that might increase at least Tk 25,000 this season.
CDB unit officer of Kotchandpur Upazila Nazrul Islam said, the farmers were at a loss as the ball warms affect the cotton balls and leafs badly on CB-9 and CB-10 varieties.
But they were able to convince the farmers as the new varieties were almost free from pest attack in the balls as well as leaves. Further, the production rate will help them from the current season, Mr Islam said.
Chief Cotton Development Officer (Jessore) MA Hannan said, they brought 3,375 hectares in Jhenaidah and Magura districts with the target of 4,000 hectares this year.
Some 3,500 hectares were brought under cotton cultivation in Jhenaidah and Magura districts last year, but the rate of cotton per mound despaired the growers, he said.
The farmers had lost their confidence to bring their lands under cotton farming. The new varieties will encourage the farmers to go ahead in the cotton farming next as it might benefit them, he added.
Further, the CDB purchases cotton seeds and non-cotton seeds from the farmers to ensure optimum price, Mr Hannan said.
Tabibur Rahman, a ginner of cotton seeds at Kotchandpur said, the ginners play role to provide benefit to the cotton farmers as the price fixed by CDB was not satisfactory for the farmers.
Rahman said, there are only eight cotton seed ginning factories in the region. Four ginning mills are in Kushtia and one each in Chuadanga, Kotchandpur, Jhikargachha and Keshabpur.
The ginners separate the fibre from the seeds and process the seeds for both oil and oil cakes.
He informed, usually the traditional variety of cotton seeds had provided half inch length of fibre, while the length will exceed one and a quarter inch this season. It will help farmers a lot.
Abdul Khalek, a cotton grower of Safderpur, said, he has cultivated cotton one bigha this year.
He added that if they got better production from this new variety and handsome rate ensured by the government, they would cultivate more cotton in the coming season.
Abdul Majed, another cotton grower of Kotchandpur Upazila, said, it is profitable farming than traditional crops.
He added that they demand quality seeds as the seeds have been supplied this year, which is free from pest and it will give more production than the previous years.