Jute bumper yield in Tentulia, farmers smiling after getting fair price

Agriculture department officials say that due to favorable weather, improved cultivation methods and government incentives, there has been positive progress in both jute cultivation and production this year.

According to the Upazila Agricultural Extension Office, although the target of jute cultivation was set on 850 hectares of land this season, in reality about 900 hectares of land have been cultivated. Seed and fertilizer incentives have also been provided to encourage the farmers.

Farmers faced some problems in germinating jute due to lack of sufficient water at the beginning of the season. However, most farmers have now completed the work of de-fibering, washing and drying the jute. According to farmers, besides good production, their risk of loss has been reduced to a great extent as they are getting satisfactory prices in the market.

According to the calculations of local farmers, the total cost of cultivating jute on each bigha of land, including tillage, seeds, fertilizers, weed control, pesticides, labor, jute cutting, threshing, washing and drying, is around 21,000 to 22,000 taka. On average, 16 to 18 maunds of jute are being produced per bigha. As jute is sold in the market for up to 4,500 taka per maund depending on its quality, farmers are expecting good profits.

Farmers Shamsuddin, UP member Jabbar Ali and farmer Amirul Islam of Khaykhatpara village of Tirnoihat union said that they have got a good yield by cultivating jute on their respective lands this season. They hope that if they can sell jute at the current market price, they will make a satisfactory profit by covering the production costs.

On the other hand, Abdul, a farmer from Ranchandi village in Tentulia Sadar Union, complained that various assistance and incentives from the Agriculture Department do not always reach the marginal farmers. He demanded that these benefits be distributed more transparently in the future.

Farmers Md. Belal Hossain and Rafiqul Islam from Demgach village in Tirnoihat area said that they have cultivated jute on about 30 acres of land. Since the production is good, they now expect that if the market price remains fair, there will be good income from jute cultivation this season.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Shabrina Afrin said that both jute production and market price are in favor of the farmers in the current season. She expressed hope that if this trend continues, jute cultivation in this region will increase further next year.