10 districts likely to have bumper cotton output

Farmers at a cotton field at Dhankhola village in Gangni upazila of Meherpur district. The photo was taken recently. PHOTO: STAR

Farmers and agronomists are expecting a bumper production of cotton in the ten southern districts this season.
Good temperature, use of compost and standard HYV seeds, bank loans on easy terms and conditions and no pest attack are the reasons behind the bumper output while easy cultivation process, lower production cost and increasing market demand made cotton cultivation popular in the region, said Cotton Development Board (CDB) Jessore regional office sources.
The office has been divided into four zones-- Jessore (Jessore, Satkhira, Narail and Kaliganj upazila of Jhenidah districts), Kushtia (Kushtia, a part of Meherpur and another of Rajbari districts), Jhenidah (Jhenidah, Magura and Faridpur districts) and Chuadanga (Meherpur and Chuadanga districts).
This season, about 15,122 hectares of land have been brought under cotton cultivation in the four zones.
Of them, Jessore saw cultivation of 6,326 hectares, Kushtia  7291, Jhenidah  4139 and Chuadanga  4149 hectares.  Last year, the zones brought 13,617 hectares on the previous year and 6,050 under the cotton farming.
The target to produce cotton this season was set at 47,8,40 metric tons. However, this target is likely to exceed as farmers are expecting 36 to 45 maunds of cotton from each acre as harvesting is going on  in different areas, said the sources.
Kamrul Hasan, expert at Jagodishpur cotton laboratory, Jessore, said the production of the crop would be 12 to 15 maunds per bigha this year  because of the use of HYV seed.
Md Musa, farmer of Bagharpara in Jessore, told this correspondent that they witnessed a bumper production of cotton due to a favourable weather condition, adequate supply of fertilisers and bank loan without any problem.
Another farmer, Mostak Ahmed, of Gangni upazila in Meherpur, said production of cotton was easier and more profitable than other items as its per bigha cost was not more than Tk 7,000 while it brought Tk 35,000 to Tk 40,000 from each bigha.
Jafor Ali, deputy director of CDB, Jessore, said they had to work hard to bring a 'revolutionary change' in cotton farming in the region.
Favorable weather condition, adequate supply of fertilisers, bank loan on easy terms and conditions and introduction of new variety of short-term seed helped achieve a bumper production this year, he said.