Rising demand, price of jute entice farmers

Farmers have been regaining their interest in jute cultivation over the past few years as both the price and demand for the golden fibre are rising at home and abroad. 

With environmental awareness growing worldwide, various countries are increasingly turning to natural fibres in a bid to lessen the ecological damage caused by the use of synthetic fibres, leading to higher demand and market value for jute.

According to Bangladesh Economic Review of 2022, about 3 per cent of the country's total export earnings come from jute.

Besides, the overall jute industry plays a crucial role in developing the agriculture sector and socio-economic condition of Bangladesh, it said.

Moreover, the government enacted a Mandatory Packaging Act-2010 and Rules for Mandatory Packaging with Jute Bags-2013, according to which the use of jute fibre packaging is compulsory for 17 items.

Against this backdrop, jute production is increasing.

In addition, the higher market price of raw jute in recent years is playing a key role in growing the interest of farmers for increasing production.

Subsequently, production reached around 82.77 lakh bales from a total of 7.45 lakh hectares of land across the country in fiscal 2021-22, the report added.

Jute production has been going well in Tangail this season thanks to conducive weather and soil conditions in the region.

As such, local farmers are satisfied with their yields, which are getting better prices as well.

Moreover, they are getting good prices for jute stems.

According to sources in the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), farmers were more inclined towards jute cultivation this year after seeing the good prices for the fibre last year.

Nargis Akter, a sub-assistant agriculture officer of the DAE in Tangail, said 1.6 lakh bales of jute were produced on 16,088 hectares of land across 12 upazilas of the district last year.

In the current season, a target was set to cultivate jute on 15,642 hectares of land but it has been cultivated on 17,147 hectares of land instead.

Of these lands, Bhuyanpur upazila contributed the highest with 4,125 hectares while Gopalpur upazila came in second with 2,940 hectares.

Meanwhile, the overall production target has been fixed at 1.7 lakh bales.

Local farmers have planted different varieties of jute, including the indigenous type, Tosha, Meshta and Rabi-1. However, the cultivation of high-yielding Tosha varieties has increased as it yields about six to 10 maunds per bigha.

During a recent visit, it was seen that farmers were busy harvesting and retting the plants before separating the fibres, which were then dried under the open sun.

Most jute growers in Tangail are not facing much difficulty in retting this year as they have sufficient water in local rivers, canals and other waterbodies. In some places though, farmers are having to take the plants far away for not having a suitable water source nearby, leading to additional costs.

Alal Miah, a farmer of Taratia village in Tangail sadar upazila, said he cultivated jute on 22 decimals of land to get four maunds of fibre, which he sold at a local market for Tk 4,000 per maund (37 kilogrammes).

"I also got some money by selling the jute stems," he added.

Somej Uddin, a farmer of Bharra village in Nagarpur upazila, said he got good yields from his two bighas of land thanks to favourable weather.

"I got 12 maunds of the fibre and 1,200 sticks from the cultivation. I sold the fibre at Tk 3,800 per maund while each bundle of sticks went for Tk 5," he added.

Ahsanul Bashar, deputy director of the DAE in Tangail, said they trained 300 farmers on jute cultivation this year. The farmers were given seeds and fertilisers to produce Rabi-1 varieties of jute.

"We were always in the fields to solve any of the problems of the jute growers," he added.