Chatmohar in Pabna is an old centre of the jute trade, and the weekly markets there still ring with the buying and selling of jute grown by farmers of greater Chalan Beel and the surrounding area, Prothom Alo reports.
Trade at this railway market multiplied after the railway arrived at the start of the twentieth century. In season, plenty of jute still comes in, brought by farmers on boats, vans and trucks. Prices are set by fibre length and colour, and traders buy here to supply jute mills around the country.
Md Abdul Hasan, a regular jute trader at the market, says Chatmohar's jute has always been of good quality. Supply is good this year, and with favourable weather the fibre is bright. A good price would please farmers and lead them to grow more, he says.
The report says, however, that prices and demand are somewhat lower than before, so less jute is being grown and the trade is slowly declining. Despite the challenges of modernisation and the growing use of plastic, Chatmohar has held on to its jute tradition.
Photo: Frameofashik / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Prothom Alo
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