Jute farming in serious decline

Jute production in Lalmonirhat has decreased to less than one-third in the last two decades as low profitability of the cash crop discourages farmers.

Jute was grown on 12,650 hectares of land in the northern district in 2001 but it came down to 7,560 hectares in 2010, 4835 hectares in 2017, 3975 hectares in 2018 and only 3,565 hectares this year, said officials at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).

Aiming at ensuring production of quality fibres, the DAE in 2011 introduced environment-friendly ribbon-retting method but the initiative got very little response from farmers in the district.

High quality jute sells for Tk 1600 to 1800 per maund [a mound = 40kg], medium quality for Tk 1400 to 1500 and low quality for Tk 1200 to 1300, whereas the average cost of production is Tk 1600 per maund, said local jute growers.

Abdus Samad of Gokunda village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, who had grown jute on five acres of land in 2010, used only one acre of his land for the crop this year.

He uses the traditional method of jute retting although he is one of the 500 farmers who took a one-day training from DAE on the ribbon-retting method in 2011.

“The quality of fibre is often compromised in traditional jute retting method, which also requires longer time and more water. But I prefer it because the machine, currently used in the ribbon-retting method in Lalmonirhat, breaks the stem of the plant into pieces during the process,” said the 63-year-old farmer.

The stem, often used as a fencing material, remains intact in the traditional method, he said.

The jute sticks sell for Tk 400 per maund in the local market, farmers said.

Bidhubhushon Roy, deputy director of Lalmonirhat DAE, said usually farmers remove fibre after letting the jute plants rot in open water for two to three weeks, but the ribbon retting system requires much less time and water.

“Ribbon retting needs polythene and a big hole in the soil. After separating the raw fibre from the jute stalk, it is kept in the water hole. Many farmers were given training in this method but they are not showing interest in applying it,” he said.

Amir Ali, 58, a farmer from Bhelabari village in Aditmari upazila, who took the DAE training, said the government did not give any ribbon retting machines to them.

Solaiman Mia, who grew the jute in half out of two acres of his cropland for fibre, sticks as well as leaves, which is usually taken as vegetable, said, a non-profit organisation distributed 40 diesel-run ribbon-retting machines among farmers in their district.

The stalk breaks into pieces when it is put through the machine to strip the green fibre off, said the 68-year-old jute grower from Sarpukur village in Aditmari.

“We could earn a fair profit if jute fibre was sold for at least Tk 2,000 per maund,” he added.

Meanwhile, jute rotting in open water bodies continues to pollute the environment.

Visiting different areas in the district, it was found that water of ponds, canals and rivers turned black and stinky and fishermen at many places were getting dead fish.

“The traditional jute retting pollutes water and it is harmful for fish. Our officials are trying to encourage jute farmers not to use the traditional jute retting method but the farmers are not listening,” District Fisheries Officer Farooqul Islam told The Daily Star.