The low price of jute is disappointing the farmers of various upazilas in Rajshahi. Jute farmers of the district are even failing to recover the production cost due to a sudden fall in price of jute. Most of the jute traders in the district are purchasing jute from the farmers at a throwaway price. Due to such fall in price, the farmers might loss interest in cultivation of jute in future. According to an official of Jute Development Office in Charghat upazila, jute has been cultivated on 3,400 hectares of land in the upazila. JDC distributed jute seeds to some 2,200 farmers. Due to absence of rainfall during the jute seed sowing season, the jute saplings did not sprout timely and the production of jute was hampered.
Moreover, while the jute plant was ready to cut off, there was no sufficient rainfall and the farmers failed to rot the jute plant in water bodies because of insufficient water there.
Farmer Abul Hossain of Thanapara of Charghat upazila informed, it costs around Tk. 20,000 to cultivate jute in a bigha of land this year. The costs cover sowing of seeds, purchasing and using of fertiliser, labour cost, retting of jute plant, removal of fibre from jute plant and to carry the fibres at home. As against the production cost, the farmers are selling the jute fibres produced in a bigha of land for Tk. 16,000 to 17,000 only.
Jute farmer Mahar Ali of Jhikrapara village under Puthia upazila informed, the present market price of jute in very low and by selling jute at the present market rate, a farmer will not be able to recover even the production cost of jute. Though the price of jute during the opening season was Tk 2,700 per maund but with the ample of supply in the market, the price has now fallen to Tk. 1,650 per maund. He further said, he has cultivated jute on seven bighas of land and the present market rate would incur a loss of Tk. 3,000 to 4,000 per bigha. He became disappointed over such low market rate of jute and said, he will not cultivate jute next year.
Charghat upazila Agriculture Officer Lutfun Naher informed, due to a good market price of jute for the last couples of years, the jute cultivation surpassed the target this year. The farmers were supplied with an improved variety of seeds. There having no sufficient rainfall, many farmers failed to ret their jute properly. As a result, the quality of jute fibre may not be fine. For such low quality of fibre, the price of jute might fall, she added.
