Farmer unable to carry out jute rotting process due to insufficient rainfall

During the peak period of monsoon, much to the worry of the growers in many districts is inadequate rainfall hampering jute rotting seriously as jute plants are drying up in the fields.

According to Agriculture Extension Department, this season jute cultivation target was fixed on 15,863 hectare of land but 14,265 hectares of land were brought under plantation in seven upazilas of the district.

Due to scanty rainfall, the water pools are yet to store necessary rainwater for rotting jute, plunging the farmers into great difficulties. This year jute growers may not get fair price because of delaying the process of jute cultivation and rotting.

Besides, the farmers could not start plantation of aman seedlings in the dried up lands.

Although solvent farmers have prepared their aman fields using irrigation pump, the seedlings are now getting yellowish for want of sufficient rainwater.

Farmers in Jhenidah district are also facing crisis of water needed for rotting green jute in the season. The situation turned grave as the water bodies in the district have almost dried up.

Farmers feared that the crisis would be acute this year as rainfall was scanty in the rainy season. The fibre this year would be of low quality as they are unable to rot jute in proper time, this will deprive the farmer from getting fair prices of the fibre.

The deputy director of the department of agriculture extension, Jhenidah Hazrat Ali admitted that severe water crisis was seriously hampering jute rotting in the region. Moreover, this year 4,250 hectares of land were prepared for jute cultivation in five upazilas of the district.