The farmers of six Jashore regional districts have been facing severe water crisis to rot their green jute due to prolonged drought in the season.
Although the people witness huge rainfall in Bengali months Ashar and Sraban, it was ironically disappeared from the region when Chattogram and some other parts of the country were inundated by recent heavy rainfall.
Jute farmer Abdur Rahim of village Maharajpur in Jhenaidah Sadar upazila said although his tender jute plants on 10 decimals of land was badly damaged and dried on the land due to heavy drought in the initial stage, remaining 50 decimals were surviving anyway.
The yield was however good, he has been facing water crisis when adequate rainwater was not available till late hours of Bengali month Sraban. Now he has been moving here and there with his green jute searching water for rotting purposes.
According to a source related to the office of the additional director of the department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Jashore region said, the farmers in six Jashore regional districts have brought 159,730 hectares of land as against the DAE target for producing 2158,416 bales of jute fibre on 170,124 hectares of land. Average yield on each hectare was estimated for 12.686 bales. Farmers in the region had produced 2435,176 Bakes of fibre on their 169,328 hectares of land in the last season. Average yield on each hectare was 14.376 bales. District wise achievement of jute farming was 25,400 hectares in Jashore, 22,524 hectares in Jhenaidah, 35,595 hectares in Magura, 37,742 hectares in Kushtia, 16,578 hectares in Chuadanga and 22,000 hectares of land in Meherpur district.
Additional director of DAE in Jashore region Abu Hossain when contacted had admitted that the least rainfall has become a barrier for jute rotting as all the waterbodies including local rivers, irrigation canals and ditches lacking water due to least rainfall. Due to dumping of green jutesticks in dirty water might produce below quality of fibre and the farmers might be deprived from fair prices in the season, DAE in Jashore region additional director said.
