Once dubbed the “golden fibre” of Bangladesh, jute is increasingly becoming a source of concern for farmers in Faridpur due to soaring production costs and stagnant market prices.
Farmers in the district, which leads the country in jute production, say this year’s expenses have surged by at least 30 percent, mainly due to adverse weather and a sharp increase in the prices of necessary inputs and labour.
In the previous season, a maund (approximately 37.3kg) of jute fetched between Tk 2,500 and Tk 2,800 at the farmer level. But, with production costs equalling or even exceeding this amount, growers barely broke even.
The hope for a profitable harvest remained out of reach, leaving many disheartened.
Now, with the onset of the jute season, farmers across the upazilas of Saltha, Nagarkanda, Boalmari and Bhanga are toiling in the fields once more—sowing seeds and irrigating lands that only recently yielded onions and other winter crops. Yet, the prevailing mood is one of visible anxiety and uncertainty.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), the target for jute cultivation in Faridpur this season is set at 86,525 hectares.
But, a prolonged dry spell, worsened by erratic climate conditions, has made irrigation more difficult and costly than ever before. The falling groundwater table has forced farmers to run irrigation pumps longer and more frequently—tripling their water costs in many cases.
“Some pumps can’t even draw enough water anymore,” said a group of jute farmers working in Dadur Bill of Boalmari upazila. “Our expenses are rising every day, from irrigation to fertilisers, pesticides and daily labour. It's becoming unsustainable.”
On a recent visit to the jute fields across the aforementioned upazilas, farmers were seen engaged in various stages of cultivation—watering fields, sowing seeds, and clearing weeds. But in nearly every field, the farmers’ faces bore signs of frustration and concern.
Ashutosh Malo, Faruk Jossen, and Moniruzzaman—jute farmers from Ghoshpur union—echoed a common sentiment: although the cost of production has surged, the price of jute has not kept pace. “We’ve been in financial distress for years now. Unless there’s government intervention to control input prices and ensure fair selling rates, we won’t survive.”
Shahaduzzaman, Deputy Director of the DAE in Faridpur, acknowledged the increased cost of production this season. “Climate change and erratic weather patterns are major contributors to rising expenses,” he said. “However, better crop management and timely care can improve yields, which may help offset the higher costs to some extent.”
Still, with no guarantee of fair prices at harvest and rising uncertainty in weather patterns, many Faridpur jute farmers are left questioning the sustainability of their long-standing reliance on jute cultivation.
Unless meaningful steps are taken soon, the golden days of this golden fibre may be fading for good.