GURUDASPUR, NATORE, July 28: Jute plant retting is seriously hampered in Gurudaspur Upazila of the district due to water crisis.
Normally canals, beels and ditches are the retting places for jute. But this full rainy season, these water bodies are lying waterless amid a drought-like situation.
Jute growers are carrying out their cutting and retting in low areas having little water. But growers in raised areas are suffering mostly. Retting cannot be managed in nearby rivers as these are blanketed with water hyacinths.
By hiring van, Losiman and Kariman, they are taking their cut jute to distant areas for retting. It is increasing their cost of farming.
Due to lack of money some of them are using their family members for shouldering cut jute to other areas for retting. Others are keeping their cut jute piled on fields.
A visit found jute retting in rotted and little water. But such retting changes golden colour of jute fibre into black. Black fibre sells at cheaper price. It concerns growers.
While talking with this correspondent of The Daily Observer, a number of growers said, alternative retting is increasing their overall farming costs. If they don't get fair price, they will have to incur losses.
A farmer of Sreepur Village at Khubjipur Union Dulal Pramanik said, in the absence of flood water, they have to make their jute retting in stranded water of ditches along road sides.
According to growers, jute production stands at 7-8 maunds per bigha. Usually the farming cost from seed sowing to fibre separation stands at Tk 15,000-16,000. But this year the cost has increased to Tk 16,000 to 20,000.
"If we don't get fair price, we will have to fall into loss-making. Growers will lose jute farming interests," they added.
This season jute was farmed on 31,745 hectares (ha) of land in Natore. Of this, 3,750 ha were farmed at Gurudaspur.
In order to expand jute farming, jute seeds and fertiliser were given to 10,000 farmers free of cost in the district. In Gurudaspur Upazila, 1,300 farmers got this incentive.
Gurudaspur Upazila Agriculture Officer Harunur Rashid said, this year, the jute has yielded good. Due to lack of rain, the retting cost has gone up. If market price is higher, growers can be benefitted, he added.
Jute production target has been fixed at 33,750 maunds worth about Tk 10 croire in the upazila.
