Home ›› 29 Sep 2021 ›› Nation
Farmers in Pabna have found an added income from selling jute sticks after they had a good yield from jute fibres in the area, thanks to the rise of its commercial use.
The jute sticks, once considered as agricultural waste, are now used as raw materials for a number of ancillary industries, like jute board.
However, a substantial portion of it is still used as fuel and for fencing and thatching in the nine upazilas of the district.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and local sources, farmers are happy as they are getting a profit of Tk 3,000 to Tk 4,000 from each bigha of cropland without putting in much effort.
The farmers said they are selling a maund of jute sticks for around Tk 3,500.
The DAE sources said that the longer the jute tree, the higher the demand and price of the jute stick.
Although prices vary depending on their quality and demand, on average, jute sticks are sold between Tk 15,000 to Tk 20,000 per hectare of land in Pabna.
On a field visit, the farmers of Atgharia, Bera, Bhangura, Chatmohar, Sadar, Shathia, Sujanagar upazila were seen busy sun-drying their sticks at yards of households in the villages, to later use as firewood for earthen stoves and produce ash, which is in great demand globally.
“Some sticks are also used in making fences in these villages. As these sticks burn fast, they have no vital role as fuel. The ashes are used to wash utensils,” said Abed Ali, a farmer of Sahapur village of Sujanagar upazila.
DAE sources said that the jute sticks could be a vital means to add to the country’s export earnings as the ash is also used as raw material in many industries, including charcoal.
Charcoal is a hard black substance that can be used as fuel. Activated carbon is produced from charcoal following an industrial process, can be used for medicinal, beauty and industrial purposes.
Different varieties of tooth-cleaning products, anti-toxin drugs, carbon paper, printer ink, face-wash, dry-cell batteries, dried ink of photocopier machines and other chemicals can be made with the jute stick ash.
They are widely used for water filters and gas masks and remove odours, said Abdul Quader, deputy director of Pabna DAE.
Johurul Islam, a farmer of Tebunia village of Sadar upazila, told The Business Post that he sold 100 bundles of jute sticks for Tk 400 to Tk 550, whereas the same volume used to be sold for Tk 100 to Tk 150 in the past. Manik Hossain, a farmer from the same upazila, told The Business Post that they he earned Tk 5,000 from his jute sticks.
“I used the money to harvest the rest of my jute yield. We are getting more prices for the sticks than before, and we are happy,” said the farmer.
Abdul Quader, deputy director of Pabna DAE, told The Business Post that they had fixed a target of cultivating jute on 43,950 hectares of land in the nine upazilas of the district. However, the farmers were able to exceed the target and achieved a massive yield.
