Jute growers getting fair prices at Santhia

SANTHIA, PABNA, Sept 16: New jute is selling at fair price at jute bazaars in Santhia Upazila of the district, benefitting growers in an encouraging way.
This season jute growers became frustrated amid retting water crisis across the upazila, disrupting cutting and retting. The proper yielding was affected. But they are now happy for the fair price of the new fibre.
According to trading sources, this year's jute price is higher than last year's.
Due to lingering drought time, growers suffered much. Many growers managed expensive retting in distant areas ranging from three kilometres (km) to five kilometres. It cost them an extra cost of about Tk 4,500 per bigha.  
Besides, growers needed using extra labourers for the whole jute farming season. Per labour charge increased to Tk 650-700 from last year's Tk 550-600.
Now growers are trying to recoup their farming costs by making profit from the good sale of jute.
 While talking with this correspondent of The Daily Observer, growers said, compared to the last year, yielding has been a less; this year's per bigha average yielding stands at eight maunds against last year's  10-11 maunds. It was caused due to unfriendly weather.
Also last year's per bigha farming cost stood at about Tk 12,000 while it is Tk 18,000 this year. This year per maund production cost stands at about Tk 2,250.
On the basis of category and quality, per maund new jute is selling at Tk 2,800 - 3,200 at different jute haats in the upazila. After adjusting costs, growers are getting a profit of Tk 700-800 per maund.
"I've sold eight maunds of jute at the rate of Tk 2,900 per maund while my profit stands at Tk 6,400," said Noor Islam, a jute grower from Gourigram, at Boailmar Haat.
According to sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE)-Santhia, this season a total of 7.800 hectares (ha) of land was brought under jute cultivation in ten unions and one municipality of the upazila, a higher by 50 ha than the target of 7,750 ha.  
Jute grower Alamgir Hossain of Amosh Village said, this year's farming cost has exceeded the cost of last year's farming by Tk 700-800 per maund. "I'm expecting a market price of at least Tk 3,000, so that a profit-margin of Tk 700-800 can be enjoyed," he added.
Jute trader Abdus Salam said, growers are also getting good prices of jute like last year.
Santhia Upazila Agriculture Officer Sanjib Kumar Goswami said, amid drought, growers suffered setback with retting adversities; at present it is raining, and they can make their jute-retting.