NATORE, Aug 16: This season 28,642 hectares (ha) of land were brought under jute cultivation in the district, according to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).
According to the DAE-Natore, the production has been was satisfactory; recent rain in the country was helpful for farmers in retting jute.
Baraigram Upazila is the main jute producing area in the district.
Upazila-wise jute cultivation included 9,662 ha at Baraigram, 6,865 ha at Lalpur, 4,050 ha at Gurudaspur, 2,050 ha at Sadar, 2,815 ha at Bagatipara, 1,650 ha at Naldanga and 1,550 in Singra Upazila.
Some farmers of Larua Village at Singra said, production has been good; they could have retted jute properly for rain.
At present, male and female labourers are doing retting of jute together; and the number of female workers is more than the male.
Jomela Khatun, a female worker of the village, said, they get Tk 200 as wage per day against Tk 350 for male.
It is unjustified, she added.
Another Qulsum Bibi said, she does not take wage against her work but she takes jute sticks as her wage.
Farmer Ansar Ali of the village said, he cultivated jute on three bighas of land; he is expecting 10 maund jute from per bigha.
Md Bodiuzzaman, assistant agriculture officer of Rajapur Block of Sadar Upazila said, the average jute production may be nine maunds per bigha.
Shamsul Alom, a farmer of that block, said, he cultivated jute on seven bighas; he is expecting nine maunds per bigha.
Saiful Islam, another farmer of Boro-Shaoil Village at Singra, said, farmers in his area have become very interested in jute farming for getting good profits.
Gurudaspur, Nazirpur, Teberia and Hatiandaha haats are the biggest jute markets in the upazila. Wholesale buyers come from other parts of the country every year to purchase jute.
Basid Ali, a local farmer, came to Hatiandaha Haat on Thursday to sell jute. He said, he sold his jute at Tk 2,000 per maund.
Jute trader Azizul Islam said, jute is selling at Tk 2,500 to 3,000 per maund at different haats in the district.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Nilima Zahan said, the average production of jute is nine maund per bigha. But the production will be more, she added.
Md Abdul Wadud, deputy director of the DAE-Natore said, the rain of the last week was very helpful for retting jute; earlier there was water crisis before the rain in the district for retting jute.
At present, the jute is being used in various purposes as it is environment-friendly, he added.
He further said, the jute demand is increasing in the country and abroad day by day; and farmers are getting good profits.
"We are always with the farmers to encourage them in farming jute and other items," the DAE official maintained.
