Jute harvesting progressing fast in Khulna

BSS, Khulna :

Harvesting of jute, the golden fibre of Bangladesh, is progressing fast in four districts under the region during the current season.

The region is widely known as “jute-producing region” of the country.

The cultivation of jute has been increasing every year here and the growers are getting fair prices for their products.

Officials of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) told BSS that the jute cultivators are expecting satisfactory output as they are getting better yielding rates in everywhere of the region.

“Jute growers are not facing any problem or barriers for rotting their jute plants as all the natural water bodies including canals, beels, rivers an haors in the rigion are now full of water due to widespread rainfall for the last fortnight,” the official said.

Farmers could cultivate jute on 38,840 hectares of land in four districts-Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira and Narail–with the target for producing around 4.40 lakh bales of jute.

Farmers are producing 16,111 tonnes bail jute on 1,398 hectares of land in Khulna, 25,165 tonnes bail jute on 1,944 hectares of land in Bagerhat, 1,28,012 tonnes bail jute on 11,853 hectares of land in Satkhira and 2,70,140 tonnes bail jute on 23,645 hectares of land in Narail, they added.

Meanwhile, jute growers have completed cutting of 75 percent of jute plants in the region and have drowned those in different water-bodies for rotting the jute plants and collecting jute fibers, Mohon Kumar Ghosh, additional director of the DAE in Khulna region, said while talking to BSS today.

Farmers could run their jute cultivation networks successfully as the weathe condition was favorable and the different state-run agencies including BADC, BCIC ensured supply of improved quality seeds and fertilizers to the door-steps of the cultivators following directives of the government, he said.

Apart from this, the corps specialists and field workers of the DAE here rendered their field-level service to let the jute growers know the modern methods of jute cultivation and boosting jute production reducing the production costs, he informed.

“Seventy-five percent of jute plants have already been harvested so far, and the rest of the jute plants will be harvested within a week,” the DAE additional director said, adding that the newly-produced jute fibers will appear in different hat-bazers and markets of the districts during the period.

“Seventy percent of the jute is used in manufacturing the domestic products and the remaining 30 percent of raw jute and jute products are being exported. Yarn, bags, sacks, curtains and carpets are being made from jute.

The leaves of jute plant are eaten as vegetable,” he said.

He, however, said jute bags have become alternative to polythene bags which are responded by most other countries of the world. Besides, jute plants on one hector of land absorb 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide and emit oxygen 11 tonnes.

Besides, jute also makes the soil fertile by mixing up jute leaves with it. So, importance should be given to jute cultivation.