Once Bangladesh’s leading export commodity, jute — known as the “golden fibre” — is witnessing renewed interest in global markets as demand rises for environmentally friendly natural fibres.
In Tangail’s Dhanbari Upazila, a bumper harvest this season has brought fresh hope to farmers, though concerns over fair prices remain.
Favourable weather, timely rainfall, low pest attacks and regular guidance from the Department of Agricultural Extension have helped farmers achieve one of the best yields in recent years. However, growers fear that rising production costs and uncertain market prices could reduce their gains.
Farmers said they would be able to recover their investment and benefit from the bumper production if they receive a fair price for their produce.
Dhanbari Agriculture Officer Masudur Rahman said jute has been cultivated on 110 hectares of land in the upazila this season. Of the total area, 10 hectares were planted with local varieties, 80 hectares with tossa jute and 20 hectares with kenaf.
Jute seeds are generally sown from late March to early May. The crop becomes ready for harvesting after around 100 to 120 days. The harvesting season usually continues from July to August, after which the plants are soaked in water for 10 to 15 days to separate the fibres.
At present, farmers across Dhanbari municipality and different unions are busy harvesting jute. In many areas, farmers are cutting the plants, bundling them and placing them in water for retting, while others are extracting fibres and drying the golden strands along roadsides and courtyards.
Farmer Md Jahangir Alam of Takuria village said the weather remained favourable this year, with timely rainfall helping improve yields.
“I cultivated jute on two bighas of land and spent around Tk55,000. Currently, jute is selling at around Tk4,000 to Tk4,200, which is much lower than our production cost. At this price, I will not even recover my expenses. We are now hoping for a better market price,” he said.
Farmer Ripon Islam of Bajitpur village said jute plants grew taller this year and the quality of fibre was better than previous seasons.
“If the market price remains good, jute cultivation will be profitable,” he said.
Farmers said the cost of fertiliser, quality seeds, weed control, pesticides, irrigation, labour, harvesting, retting, fibre extraction, drying and transportation has increased significantly this year.
Despite the higher costs, they remain optimistic due to the strong yield. However, they warned that lower market prices could make it difficult to recover additional expenses.
Some farmers are also facing difficulties due to a shortage of clean water for retting. Many have to transport jute to distant canals and rivers, increasing both time and costs.
Farmers demanded preservation of water bodies and greater use of modern jute processing technology to reduce production costs and improve fibre quality.
Experts said the growing global demand for eco-friendly products has increased the importance of jute. As countries look for alternatives to plastic, jute-based products have significant export potential.
They said Bangladesh must ensure fair prices for farmers and expand jute-based industries to take advantage of the growing international market.
Dhanbari Agriculture Officer Md Masudur Rahman said favourable weather conditions, government support for improved jute seeds and regular field-level advice helped farmers achieve better yields and improved fibre quality this season.
“We hope farmers will receive good prices for their produce,” he said.
