RANGPUR, Apr 24, 2019 (BSS) – The enthusiastic farmers are continuing
cultivation of jute in full swing as seed sowing process of the crop is
nearing completion in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said a target
of producing over 6.77-lakh bales of jute fibre has been fixed from 58,250
hectares of land in the region this season.
The farmers already completed sowing of jute seed by Tuesday on 31,274
hectares of land, around 53.70 percent of the fixed cultivation target of the
crop.
“The farmers are sowing jute seed in full swing amid favourable climatic
conditions and the process will continue till the middle of next month,”
Horticulture Specialist of DAE at its regional office Khondker Md Mesbahul
Islam told BSS today.
The fixed target includes production of 6.42-lakh bales of ‘Tosha’
variety jute fibre from 54,400 hectares of land, 30,192 bales of ‘Deshi’
variety fibre from 3,400 hectares and 3,726 bales of ‘Mechta’ variety of jute
from 450 hectares of land in the region.
The enthusiastic farmers are showing more interest in jute farming after
getting its repeated bumper production and lucrative market price in recent
years.
Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Md. Moniruzzaman said
jute cultivation became popular again among farmers after the government
declared jute as the national agricultural product and made use of jute sacs
mandatory in various sectors.
“To make the fixed jute farming target successful, Bangladesh Agriculture
Development Corporation, other recommended government and non-government
organisations and dealers supplied high quality jute seed to farmers this
season,” he said.
Deputy Director of the DAE Dr Sarwarul Haque said the present government
has taken adequate steps and the field level agriculture officials are
assisting farmers to make the jute cultivation programme successful in the
region this season.
Talking to BSS, farmers Manik Mian, Ariful Haque and Azizur Rahman, of
different villages in Badarganj here said they had already sowed jute seed on
their crop lands and the tender plants are growing superbly amid favourable
climatic conditions.
Farmers Echhahaq Ali, Lokman Hossain, Ivy Begum, Mohsin Ali, Ayub Ali and
Abdul Jalil of different villages in Mominpur union of Sadar upazila here
said they got quality jute seed timely this year to complete sowing of the
same by last week.
They thanked the present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
for supplying quality jute seed and providing training on latest technologies
to ease jute-rotting process amid drought situation and upgrade fibre quality
using ribbon-retting methods.
Agriculturist Dr Md Abdul Mazid, who got the Independence Award 2018
Medal on food security category last year, said popularisation of latest
farming technologies and jute rotting methods could enhance production of
quality fibre and export of the commodity.