Rangpur jute growers enjoying better prices
Jute growers in Rangpur are getting better prices than before as many factories in the division are using the natural fibre to produce various Shataranji goods such as carpets and handbags for export, according to industry insiders.
Each maund (around 37 kilogrammes) of jute is selling for Tk 2,500 to Tk 3,100 depending on the quality around the country. Last year it was Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,500.
Farmers in Rangpur said they had previously refrained from cultivating jute since they could not get fair prices. There were other challenges related to weather, including untimely rainfall. But there were no such problems for the last two years, farmers said.
"We have been getting better profits for the last two years," acknowledged Nurul Islam, a farmer of Pirgachha upazila of Dinajpur.
Better prices for the last two years has helped expand cultivation, according to the local Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
Jute is produced in a number of districts in Rangpur.
Around 9,198 hectares of land in Rangpur were brought under jute cultivation in the current fiscal year 2021-22, of which just over three months have elapsed, with about 20,509 tonnes of the fibre being produced, shows the DAE data.
Last year it was 8,345 hectares.
Around the country, jute has been cultivated on some 7.459 lakh hectares of land this fiscal year.
In the preceding fiscal year, 6.82 lakh hectares of land were used, from which 77.25 lakh tonnes of jute were harvested.
Speaking to The Daily Star, many farmers said they produced about Tk 30,000 worth of jute from each bigha while the production cost was around Tk 15,000.
On an average, each bigha of land produces around 10 maunds of the fibre, they added.
The demand for jute has gone up as many factories have been set up in the region to make various products out of the fibre, particularly Shataranji crafts, said the DAE officials and farmers.
Shataranji is a creative art of weaving dependent on skillful fingers, technically similar to modern tapestry. It still survives on a very limited extent in Rangpur. Yarn is the principal raw material, be it made of cotton, jute, wool or other fibres, according to Banglapedia.
Bundles of yarn are fixed in a loom or laid down on the floor to be knit by hand following a set design. A comb like instrument called panja is used to tighten the knit yarn. One to three hours is required to make one square feet of Shataranji.
The craft was recently declared a Geographical Indication product of Bangladesh. Shipped to countries all over the world, it makes for a good source of foreign currency.
In Rangpur, seven jute mills have popped up, mostly producing jute thread which is used in Shataranji crafts, which have high demand in international markets.
These new industries have created employment opportunities for hundreds of locals, particularly females.
Abul Kashem, chairman of North Bengal Jute Mill in Rangpur, said jute farmers were getting better prices for their products as local jute mills were making multiple products from the fibre.
Agronomist Solaiman Ali, assistant director of the Department of Jute in Rangpur, said his office has been encouraging farmers to cultivate jute by organising various training programmes.
Obaidur Rahman Mondal, deputy director of the DAE office in Rangpur, said jute cultivation has risen as farmers were getting better prices due to increased demand from local jute factories.
Mondal hopes for jute cultivation to increase in the upcoming season.
Other than the processed fibre, there is high demand for jute sticks in rural areas.
Al Amin, a farmer of Kaunia upazila, said he sold Tk 13,000-worth jute sticks this year. "There is a high demand for jute sticks for making enclosures of betel leaf plantations," he added.
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