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September
18, 2000
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Panchagarh,
Sept 17 (UNB) – About 2,540 quintal jute has been purchased by three
purchasing centres in the district beginning from August 2 with the
target of procuring 15,000 quintal.
Jute
price at the purchasing centres was set at Tossa
- Tk 857 and White – Tk 777 per quintal. But the traders are
not inclined to bring in jute at the centres for nonpayment of
outstanding dues. As a result jute price has declined. In fact, there
is hardly any buyer in the rural markets and the growers faced problem
with jute.
The
purchasing centres of Platinum Jute Mills owe Tk 60 lakh to traders
for the jute supplied last year. The Bhajanpur purchasing centre has
been closed. Only Debiganj centre of Eastern Jute Mills is buying some
jute.
In
the absence of buyers of domestic mills, informed sources said a large
quantity of jute drawing by the traders from the village markets are
sold from buyers coming from across the border. An unknown quantity of
jute is smuggled out every through the border.
As
the jute mills have either closed or turned sick, for ‘golden fibre’
has now reduced to a problem for the farmers.
Mohammad
Yeasin, Deputy Director of Agriculture Extension Department, said jute
cultivation in northern districts has declined to one-ten in last five
years. He estimated that jute was cultivated only on 50,000 hectares
this year as against 5 lakh hectares five years ago.
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