The farmers in Jhenaidah are being reluctant to cultivate jute as they could not be benefitted from the crop once known as the “Golden Fibre” of the country in the recent years.
About 25 percent of land was reduced from the jute farming in the current season which was covered by maize, mustard and some other crops. The production target will not be achieved during the season, said the farmers and the agriculture department officials.
Mamun Biswas, farmer of village Nityanandapur in Shailkupa upazila of Jhenaidah, said he is cultivating jute on 33 decimals of land. However, the area of his jute cultivation was 52 decimals in the last season. As the price of the fiber was not satisfactory and the production cost was high so that they incurred loss last year.
The farmer said, a jute farmer can produce 10 to 12 maunds of jute fiber on one bigha plot (33 decimals). The market price of the amount is around Taka 20 to 24 thousand. However, the production cost including seed, fertilizer, irrigation, pesticides, weeding out, jute rotting, curing and transport cost requires at least Taka 14 to 15 thousand for one Bigha of land. So, they (farmers) cannot make a good profit from jute cultivation, he said.
Sources related to the office of the deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah Kamarbari said they had set target to produce 315,588 bales of jute fiber on 23,800 hectares of land in the current season where they were expecting at least 13.26 bales on each hectare. But, the farmers have brought 17,580 hectares of land until April 28.
Another 400 to 500 hectares might be brought under the farming in next two weeks, the source said.
Upazila Agricultural Officer (UAO) of the DAE in Jhenaidah Sadar Upazila Nur E Nabi said the farmers always consider their financial benefit from the farming. As jute farming was not profitable to them, they were leaning towards maize, mustard and some other crops for their survival.
The present trend of jute cultivation might reduce the area of farming in the next years if the price would not be increased in the market, the UAO Nur E Nabi said.
