Jashore farmers happy with bumper cotton production

Cotton cultivators of the Jashore region are very happy with the bumper production and excellent market price after completing the harvest of the economical crop earlier this month.

According to Kamrul Hasan, deputy director of Cotton Development Board (CDB) Jashore, farmers cultivated cotton on 16,631 hectares of land in four zones under the Jashore region this season.

Of them, cotton was cultivated on 4,439 hectares of land in Kushtia zone, 4,432 hectares in Chuadanga zone, 4,408 hectares in Jhenaidah zone, and 3,352 hectares of land in Jashore zone of the region. After completing the harvest, cultivators have produced 45,735 tonnes of cotton in the region.

The CDB extended assistance to farmers to make the intensive cotton cultivation program a success, he said.

Cultivators achieved an excellent average yield rate of 14 maunds of the crop per bigha of land following expanded cultivation of its hybrid and high-yielding varieties.

CDB sources said, cultivators mostly cultivated hybrid varieties of cotton, such as white gold-1, Rupali-1, CB hybrid-1, DM-4, and high-yielding varieties of cotton like CB-14, CB-15 this time.

Market sources said the newly harvested cotton is currently being sold at rates between Tk 3,400-3,600 per maund.

DD Hasan appreciated various pragmatic steps taken by the government to expand cotton farming and increase its output for attaining self-reliance on cotton.