NATORE, Aug 14: The jute farmers here are satisfied and happy over the good price of jute in local markets this year. Now jute is being sold at highest Tk 2,000 per maund at different haats and bazaars of the district.
Few years back, the farmers did not get expected price, but now the situation has changed, and they are hopeful of earning better profit.
This year, more lands were brought under jute cultivation and the production has also increased. Now farmers are busy in harvesting and rotting jute for selling in the market.
Sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Natore said, the target of jute cultivation was fixed at 16,101 hectares of land this season, but it was exceeded as 23,870 hectares of land were brought under cultivation which is 148 per cent more than the target.
In 2015, jute was cultivated on 15,870 hectares of land and a total of 1,59,901 bales of jute were produced. In 2014, jute was cultivated on 14,366 hectares of land and total 1,38,156 bales of jute were produced.
In 2014 and 2015, 9.61 and 10.06 bales of jute were produced respectively in per hectare, but this year 10.50 bales are expected to be produced, said DAE sources.
Morzina Khatun, a day-labourer involved in jute rotting and processing at Larua village under Singra upazila, informed that, each woman labourer gets Tk 200 as daily wage while a male one gets Tk 250 which is a clear sign of wage discrimination.
Ansar Ali, a farmer of the same village, said, "I cultivated jute on 6 bighas of land this year. Due to sufficient rainfall, there is no crisis of water here for rotting and processing jute. I am expecting to get around 9 to 10 maunds of jute from per bigha of land."
Babul Hossain, sub-assistant agriculture officer (SAAO) of Halsha union block under Sadar upazila said, this year the cultivation of jute is satisfactory in his block area since farmers are getting around 10 maunds of jute from per bigha of land.
Abdur Rahaman, a farmer of the block area, informed that he also got 10 maunds of jute from per bigha at the same time. The demand of jute is increasing in the markets and so the price of jute has also increased, he added.
Nazirpur under Gurudaspur upazila, Teberia haat under Sadar upazila and Hatiandaha haat under Singra upazila are famous as wholesale jute markets.
Soleman Miah who came to the Hatiandaha haat for selling jute said, he sold jute at Tk 1,800 per maund at the haat.
Jute trader Azizul Islam Member said, the current rate of jute is favourable for both traders and growers. Jute is now selling at Tk 1,600 to 2,000 per maund in the local markets.
Alhaj Uddin Ahmed, deputy director (DD) of Natore DAE said, due to various uses, the demand and price of jute has increased now. As a result, the farmers getting interested to grow more jute, he added.
