SB-Sujon :
Like other districts in the northern region, jute cultivation has increased in Lalmonirhat this season in the hope of higher profits. But that hope has been dashed due to the adverse weather conditions. Since the beginning of the season, that is, since jute was planted, the normal growth of jute trees has been disrupted, resulting in reduced fiber production. Farmers are worried about whether they will be able to recover the cost of production from this jute.
After talking to farmers who visited different areas of the district, it was learned that this year most jute trees have become 2 to 4 feet shorter than normal. Although a jute tree is usually 8 to 12 feet tall, it has not achieved that height this time.
According to the Agriculture Department, due to this, an average of 40 to 60 kg less fiber can be produced per bigha.
Farmer Hossain Mia of Aditmari Upazila said, “Last year, I got about 6 maunds of jute per bigha. I planted jute again this year in the hope of a good market price. But this time the yield has dropped below 5 maunds.”
Farmer Rashidul Islam of the same upazila said, “I have never seen such short jute trees in my life. Since the trees are small, the fiber is also small. As a result, although the price is good, the hope of profit is slim due to the low production.
Farmer Abdul Jalil of Panchagram Union of Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila said, “Due to the good price last year, I took an additional bigha of land on lease and planted jute in three bigha. However, the production cost has increased to about 13,000 taka per bigha. Last year, I got 17 maunds of jute from three bigha, but this time the production has only been 14 maunds.
It is known that farmers are in extreme uncertainty as the yield of one crop after another has decreased.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, jute has been cultivated on 4,045 hectares of land in the district this season, which is 730 hectares more than last year. This year, the production target has been set at 49,549 metric tons.
Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Khandaker Sohael Ahmed said that due to excessive rainfall during seed sowing and seedling growth, the normal growth of jute plants has been disrupted. As a result, the height of the plant has reduced by 2 to 4 feet and the fiber production may be less by 40 to 50 kg per bigha.
According to the Meteorological Department, in April this year, due to the upstream flow, Lalmonirhat received about 205 millimeters of rainfall against the normal 109 millimeters. This is 87.1 percent more than normal. In addition, about 99 percent more rainfall was recorded in Rangpur division in May than normal.
District Sadar Department of Agriculture Extension Officer Md. Nuruzzaman Roni said that about 45 percent of the jute in the district has already been harvested. The remaining jute will also be harvested within this month and the supply of new jute in the market will increase.
Deputy Director of the District Agricultural Extension Department Dr. Md. Saikhul Arifin said that although production has decreased in some areas due to heavy rains, there is hope of a satisfactory harvest in most parts of the district. With the help of farmers, the government is taking necessary steps to ensure high-quality seeds, agricultural inputs and fair prices.
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