Water crisis hampers jute farming
Friday, 24 July 2009
Our Correspondent
TANGAIL, July 23: Farmers of the district are losing their interest in the cultivation of jute due to crisis of water for rotting jute.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), 18,000 hectares of land were brought under jute cultivation in the district with a production target of 163,500 tonnes.
The DAE ensured supply of necessary seed, fertiliser, pesticides and other agricultural inputs at reasonable prices to the interested farmers for achieving the production target.
But the production of jute in the district has come down drastically.
Now is the season for cutting of jute but farmers of the district are in difficulty in rotting them. There is no water in this rainy season. Canals and rivers are still dry as there is hardly any rain in the district.
Hazrat Ali, a farmer of Kazipur village under Sadar Upazila, said, "Canals and rivers are dry in the month of Shraban and there is no rain, we don't know how we will rot our jute."
Local farmers said jute cultivation is appearing more difficult due to non-availability of water for rotting but such problems do not generally arise in case of paddy cultivation.
TANGAIL, July 23: Farmers of the district are losing their interest in the cultivation of jute due to crisis of water for rotting jute.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), 18,000 hectares of land were brought under jute cultivation in the district with a production target of 163,500 tonnes.
The DAE ensured supply of necessary seed, fertiliser, pesticides and other agricultural inputs at reasonable prices to the interested farmers for achieving the production target.
But the production of jute in the district has come down drastically.
Now is the season for cutting of jute but farmers of the district are in difficulty in rotting them. There is no water in this rainy season. Canals and rivers are still dry as there is hardly any rain in the district.
Hazrat Ali, a farmer of Kazipur village under Sadar Upazila, said, "Canals and rivers are dry in the month of Shraban and there is no rain, we don't know how we will rot our jute."
Local farmers said jute cultivation is appearing more difficult due to non-availability of water for rotting but such problems do not generally arise in case of paddy cultivation.