Naogaon's jute farmers have had a good crop this year and better fibre too, and the market is paying for it. After a long time, both output and prices are on their side, and growers across the district are relieved.
From dawn, farmers bring deshi, tossa and mesta jute by every kind of vehicle to Sotihat market in Manda upazila. With demand running ahead of supply, they bargain with traders before selling. Depending on quality and variety, a maund of jute fetches Tk 3,800 to 4,500.
Noman Ahmed, a grower from Tilakpur village, said retting, stripping, washing and drying jute after harvest is hard work. This year enough rain kept the ponds full, so retting was no trouble and the fibre came out a good colour. If he can hold his jute for a while, he hopes to get up to Tk 5,000 a maund.
Omar Faruk of Chakshimla village in Atrai upazila grew jute on 10 bighas. Before he had retted it, middlemen booked 20 maunds in advance at Tk 3,800 a maund. He sold the rest at Tk 4,000 a maund, Tk 700 more than he got last year.
Manjur Rahman, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Naogaon, said jute was grown on 3,170 hectares in the district this year, with a production target of 8,910 tonnes.
This report is based on information from Krishi Shomoy's Naogaon correspondent.
Photo: Shahnoor Habib Munmun / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Source: Krishi Shomoy
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