Photo: BSS

By Md Mamun Islam
 
RANGPUR, Sept 2, 2026 (BSS) - This season, enthusiastic farmers have produced 6,64,970 bales of jute after completing the harvesting and fiber separation work last week in all five districts of the Rangpur agricultural region.
 
Officials from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said that the 6,64,970 bales of jute produced this season are 4,049 bales more than the last year's production of 6,60,921 bales.
 
Meanwhile, farmers across the region are pleased with the excellent jute harvest this year and the good profits they make from selling their produced fibers in the local market.
 
Assistant Director of the Department of Jute for Rangpur region Tarana Afroj Shajoni today told BSS that in the local market, Tosha variety fibre is being sold for Taka 4,000 to Taka 4,200 per mound (40 kg) and Kenaf variety fibre for Taka 5,100 to Taka 5,200 per mound.
 
Earlier, the DAE had fixed a target of farming 'Tosha', 'Deshi', 'Mechta' and Kenaf varieties of jute on 49,930 hectares of land for all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari in the region this season.
 
However, farmers had finally cultivated jute on 50,708 hectares of land (excluding the damaged crop on 84 hectares by floods), exceeding the set farming target by 778 hectares this time.
 
Additional Director of DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Sirajul Islam told BSS that for the first time in recent years, farmers had exceeded the set farming target of the 'golden fibre of jute' in the region this season. 
 
With consistent good yields and attractive prices for jute in recent years, farmers have shown keen interest in cultivating the cash crop this season, resulting in exceeding the cultivation target in the region.
 
"Farmers had mostly cultivated high yielding varieties of jute on more land area this season and got a better production of the fibre crop," he said.
 
The DAE also provided necessary training to farmers to separate and decompose jute fibre in case of water shortage so that they could ensure better quality to get high prices for the golden fibre. 
"After completing harvest of the fibre crop last week, farmers have produced 6,64,970 bales of the fibre crop at an excellent average yield rate of 13.11 bales per hectare," said Sirajul Islam. 
  
Apart from reaping good profits from selling the fibre at better rates and jute straws at Taka 800 per mound, farmers benefit from jute cultivation, because after harvesting, its leaves and deep roots decompose into organic fertilizer that improves soil health and fertility.
 
Independence Award 2018 Medal (food security) awardee Agriculturist Dr MA Mazid said most farmers had produced high-quality jute fibre by rotting jute plants in water bodies and adopting the ribbon retting method amidst relatively less rainfall this season. 
 
"The demand for jute has increased considerably as a result of ensuring mandatory use of jute bags in various sectors and jute cultivation becoming more profitable for farmers in recent years," he mentioned. 
 
Talking to BSS, farmer Mofizar Rahman and Majibar Rahman of village Dolapara in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur said that he got an excellent yield at better price of Tosha variety of jute this season.
 
Similarly, jute growers Aftab Hossain, Jashim Uddin and Borhan Uddin of different villages in Rangpur said they got bumper yields of Tosha variety fibre and sold the fiber at rates between Taka 3,900 and Taka 4,200 per mound.