Last 2 years' losses still haunt jute growers

Harvested jute is kept for rotting in a water body at Kachiniya of Khansama upazila in Dinajpur district that sees good yield of the cash crop this year. Photo: STAR

Jute growers of Dinajpur and Joypurhat districts have started harvesting the cash crop but they are worried about its market prices, especially against the backdrop of huge losses in last two seasons.
This year the area of jute cultivation has increased although the growers have been feeling insecurity due to losses since 2009, said Md Anwarul Alam, deputy director of Dinajpur DAE.
The rise of jute cultivation area and its better production rather poses a challenge as the country's jute market is shrinking, DAE officials observed.
At least 10,467 hectares of land was brought under jute cultivation in Dinajpur district while the target was 7,724 hectares, said sources of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).
Around 1,00,483 bales of jute production is expected in Dinajpur.
In Joypurhat, 3,450 hectares of land was brought under jute farming with production target of 41,400 bales.
In 2009, the area of jute cultivation in Dinajpur and Joypurhat districts was only 4,578 and 2,095 hectares respectively, DAE sources said, adding that the two districts now see jute farming in much larger areas of land.
But the jute growers have been incurring losses due to its low prices since 2009, said Md Anamul Haque, a member of Business Management Organisation in Parbatipur upazila of Dinajpur.
This year farmers of these districts cultivated high yielding 'Tosha' and local varieties of jute and got bumper production, DAE officials said.
The production of Tosha variety would be 10 to 11 bales per hectare and local variety 8 to 9 bales per hectare, said field level agricultural staff and farmers.
During the last two seasons, farmers faced trouble to rot jute due to shortage of water but this year farmers are not facing the problem.
"But we are worried about the market price. The jute price was around Tk 800 and 600 per maund in 2010 and 2011 while the production cost was around 1,000 per maund," said Md Abdus Salam, a farmer of Khansama upazila in Dinajpur.
"Production and labour costs have gone up further. Jute farming will be profitable this year if the price remains Tk 1300 to 1400 per maund," said Md Abdul Hannan, another farmer of the same upazila.