NETRAKONA , June 6, 2021 (BSS)- Farmers and crop experts are expecting bumper output of jute in all the 10 upazilas of the district as the tender jute plants are growing excellently amid favorable climatic conditions during the current Kharif-1 season.
This year, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Netrakona has fixed a target to produce 45,230 bales of jute from 4,930 hectares of land in the district.
But, the farmers have successfully cultivated different varieties of jute on 4,910 hectares of land (less than 20 hectare of the fixed jute farming target) in the upazilas of the district.
Of the total jute cultivated land, 613 hectares have been brought under cultivation of Capsularies variety of jute, 397 hectares of land under Olitorious variety of jute, 3,515 hectares of land under Kenaf variety of jute and 385 hectares of land brought under Mechta variety of jute, the sources said.
The farmers could not achieve the fixed jute cultivation target due to crop diversification and cultivation of Aush rice, summer vegetables and maize on the more lands, said Habibur Rahman, deputy director of the DAE, Netrakona.
“Many farmers have shown their keen interest to cultivate jute on their farmlands including fellow lands this year after getting lucrative prices of their jute fibers for the last couple of years as the present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been implementing different jute farming friendly pragmatic programmes for bringing back the past glory of jute as ‘golden fiber’ of the country,” he said.
Apart from these, the jute cultivators were imparted training by the DAE experts to know about the latest technologies for separating and rotting jute to get better quality fibers, he added.
“Different state-run agencies including BADC and BCIC and DAE at the directives of the government have also supplied improved quality jute seeds, fertilizers and other agricultural equipment for making the jute cultivation target a success,” Habibur Rahman continued.
The Deputy Director said while replying, “If the climate condition remains favorable till the jute harvesting period, which will be started in the month of July next, over 45,000 bales of jute fibers are expected to be produced in the district.”