Jute growers in Bogra, to their utter disappointment and shocks, are being denied actual prices of their produce in the local markets.
For the denial of fair prices, once the county’s golden fibre, jute has now turned into a bane for farmers who produced it in exchange of hard labour and involving higher cost.
Production of the crop beyond target even could not make the farmers happy in the district this season for the prices they are getting are less than its production cost.
Sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Bogra said at first a target was set to bring 17,000 hectares of land under jute farming in the district this year.
But due to favourable weather, the farmers, expecting higher profit, cultivated jute on additional 260 hectares, with a production target of total 2.5 lakh bales of jute.
Frustration has mostly seized the framers in Sariakandi upazila, who are experiencing plummeting prices of jute, instead of its supply glut in the local markets.
The DAE sources said a total of 7,990 hectares of land were brought under jute cultivation in the upazila, which is 1001 hectares more than the previous year.
The sources expect that about 91,687 bales of jute would be produced in the upazila this year.
Jute price was good in the middle of June and July this year as jute of best quality sold for Tk1500 to Tk 1600 per maund while that of the low quality sold for Tk1300 to Tk 1400 per mound.
But now the farmers are getting price of Tk800 to Tk1000 per mound.
The growers had to spend Tk1200 to produce one maund of jute; so they have now to count heavy losses due to the unfair prices.
Abul Hossain, a jute grower of Sariakandi upazila, said he had cultivated jute on 10 bighas of land, spending additional money for irrigation, for there being drought.
Now he has to incur a big loss for the low price of the crop.
Samsul Islam, another farmer, said he produced 40 maunds of jute from five bighas of land.
He spent Tk8-10 thousand for cultivating jute on each bigha of land.
From the beginning, he sold jute at
Tk 1400-1500 per maund but now the price of jute is only Tk800-1000 per maund.
Expressing shock, he said he stocked jute for more profit but now he has to count losses.
Shamsul Haque Paiker, a jute trader of Gabtoli, said the market sees few buyers as the Khulna Jute Mill authorities have not started to purchase jute.
He also hoped that when jute purchase will begin in full swing, its price will go higher.
Source: UNBConnect