Opportunities and Constraints in adopting Technologies for Improving Jute production M.A. Sobhan Research Consultant, UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternative) and Ex-Chief Scientific Officer, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute

1. Introduction:

 Jute constitutes a major world crop. Jute encompasses four bast fiber species including: tossa jute, white jute, kenaf and mesta / roselle. These crops are mainly grown in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal and Thailand .

Corchorus capsularis Corchorus olitorius Hibiscus cannabinus Hibiscus sabdariffa

Jute production:

Production (thousand tons) of jute in 2003

World Bangladesh China India Indonesia Nepal Thailand Others 3291.95

963.00

165.00

1977.30

7.00

17.50

57.00

105.15

1.1 Area coverage in countries:

• Bangladesh: 10% white jute, 80% tossa jute and 10% kenaf and mesta.

China: 90% kenaf and 10% white jute; India: 75% jute, 13% H.s. mesta and 12% H.c. mesta; Indonesia: 80% kenaf, 15% roselle and 5% white jute; Nepal: 63% tossa jute and 37% white jute Thailand: 80% roselle/ mesta, 10% kenaf and 10% tossa jute.

1.2 Origin of jute:

  White jute (

Corchorus capsularis

) occurs wild in South China from where it was introduced into Bangladesh and India.

Toss jute (

C. olitorius

) occurs wild in Africa from where it migrated via Egypt and Syria into India, Bangladesh, China and elsewhere. Kenaf (

Hibiscus cannabinus

) and mesta / roselle (

H.sabdariffa

) have a tropical and sub-tropical distribution and Africa appears to be a major centre of distribution.

2. Jute in Bangladesh:

 The climate of Bangladesh is favorable for jute production. About 80% of land is used for rice production. The continuous cultivation of rice apparently tends to deplete the soil. Moreover continuous cultivation of rice leads to formation of a hard pan just below the root zone. Jute having tap roots break the pan.

•

2.1 Seasonal suitability of jute in Bangladesh:

Jute production nicely matches with ecology. There is pre monsoon shower in March-April. Optimum condition prevails for land preparation and sowing of seeds. There are moderate and intermittent rain and shower in May-June providing enough moisture in the soil needed for good growth of jute plants. Heavier rains follow in July and August. Ditches, ponds and fields are filled with water and used for jute retting.

2.2 Synergy of jute and rice in Bangladesh: • Increasing rice production must take into account the equally important need to maintain jute production. Jute is directly competitive with rice and indirectly with and boro aus amon . At present prices, jute production is far from being competitive with rice. Yet it is essential to maintain jute production because jute provides one of the main sources of the country’s export earnings. Without these export earnings, the country can not pay, for the imported fertilizers which the HYV rice needs. HYV rice production must harmonize with jute production and export.

2.3 Area, production and yield of jute in Bangladesh during 1904-2004

Year

1904 1924 1934 1947 1954 1964 1974 1984 1994 2004 Average

Area (000ha)

1174.38

951.75

951.75

833.14

503.11

671.80

573.26

676.24

567.80

390.67

729.39

Production (000mt)

1343.84

1292.26

1365.63

1221.41

832.23

951.09

620.42

912.31

929.50

726.22

1019.49

Yield (mt/ha)

1.14

1.35

1.43

1.47

1.65

1.41

1.08

1.35

1.64

1.86

1.43

2.4 Economy:

 Jute ranks next to rice, pulses, oil seeds and wheat in Bangladesh. It occupies 2.86% of cultivable area (BBS, 2005). It provides about 10% of employment and about 25 million people of the country are dependent on jute sector. In addition to farm to factory, jute products enliven transport, service, banks, insurance and the agro-industrial sectors.

2.5 Agro-ecology:

• Jute is friendly to environment. The lush green canopy of jute spread over the country for half of the year is maintaining the ecological balance. Crop rotation practice with jute helps improving the soil, controls soil borne pathogens, insects and weeds.

2.6 Varieties:

CVL - 1

 A total of 32 varieties have been released so far from the Bangladesh Jute Research Institute. Out of these 6 varieties of deshi jute (D-154, CVl-1, CVE-3, CC- 45, BJC-7370, BJC – 83), four varieties of tossa jute (O - 4, O – 9897, OM – 1, O – 72), two varieties of kenaf (Hc-2 and Hc – 95) and one variety of mesta (Hs-24) are in commercial cultivation. Yield potential of the deshi jute varieties range between 4.51 – 5.46 mt/ha and those of tossa jute between 4.52 – 4.82 mt/ha. On the contrary the national average is 1.86 mt/ha (BBS. 2006).

O - 72 OM - 1

2.7 Method of sowing:

► Line sowing takes 30 cm × 6-7 cm. Seeding rate 5.5 – 7.5 kg/ha for white jute, 3.50 – 5.00 kg/ha of tossa jute. Mesta/kenaf seeding rate 11-12kg/ha. Line sowing ensures easy inter culture, uniform growth, development and yield. But limited for lack of seed drill.

2.8 Fertilizers:

   5000 kg/ha of cow dung, 27 kg/ha urea before sowing and 83 kg/ha of urea are applied after 45 days of sowing.

 Without cow dung 83kg urea, 25kg TSP, 30 kg MP, 45 kg gypsum and 11 kg zinc sulphate/ha before sowing. A second dose of urea 83 kg/ha applied after 45 days of sowing.

2.9 Competition of jute with rice and maize:

 Boro rice cultivation with irrigation has pushed out many traditional rabi crops including pulses and oil seeds. Consequently cropping patterns have been changed. Previously jute would be a follow up crop after lentil, grass pea, chickpea, mungbean, blackgram, melon, water melon, sweet potato, potato, onion, garlic and winter vegetables. Most of these crops have been replaced with of boro in March April. The meager space still left for sowing jute in March-April, is again exposed to competition with aus rice and maize. boro rice. The harvest rice overlaps the optimum time of sowing jute

2.10 Inadequate supply of quality jute seeds:

 In recent years the farmers have become dependent on external supply of seeds. There is an annual need of about 4000 tons of jute seeds. The farmers produce roughly about 1000 tons. BADC supplies about 500 tons. The rest of the quantity is imported through authorized dealers or unauthorized agents from outside the country.

2.11 Poor price

support

jute fiber: for

There is no stable price policy for jute. Although fiber procurement prices are announced, farmers almost never receive these prices. The traders and middlemen deceive the farmers. The price differential between good quality fiber and inferior quality is almost non-existent at the local market. So, the recommendations for quality improvement do not have much impact.

2.12 Competition of jute with

synthetics

:

• For about the last four decades synthetics have moved into most of the areas hitherto regarded exclusive to jute. The global production of synthetics is about 300 million tons per annum against, about 3 million tons of jute and allied fiber. Of which Bangladesh produces only about one million tons of raw jute.

2.13 Physical problems:

 There have been some unpredictable problems constraining jute production. Global warming due to green house affect has further intensified these problems including drought, cyclones, hailstorms, water logging, and shortage of retting water.

2.14 Drought:

 In some jute growing areas prolonged drought during March May hamper crop establishment and damage of young plants. Due to delay on set of rains, sowing of jute seed is also delayed. Consequently the planned cropping patterns are affected.

2.15 Cyclones\hail storms:



The occurrence of cyclones and hail storms causes damage to tender shoots and leaves. Cyclones affect the fast growing plant populations by lodging and falling on the ground.

2.16 Water logging\flooding:

• Jute crops in many areas are waterlogged due to heavy monsoon rain and flooding. In such lowland areas crops are partially or totally damaged. Even if the crops can withstand the water logging, the amount of cutting are increased which impairs the fiber quality.

2.17 Shortage of retting water:

►

There is a major problem of retting water in many jute growing areas. This is particularly a common problem in the northern districts.

2.18 Ribbon retting:

  In order to averting retting problem, improved methods of retting through ribboning and ribbon retting have been evolved. Manual ribboners such as BJRI Bamboo-hook ribboner, IJO-FAO single roller ribboner, IJO-FAO double roller ribboners have been produced. Ribbon retting requires much less water and half the time of whole plant retting. The fiber quality is also improved. But due to the reduced economic return for the quality jute produced through ribbon retting, it has not become popular among the farmers.

2.19 Agricultural Extension:

     In order to attain the goal for effective diffusion of production technologies some relevant aspects need consideration: Farmer associations should be set up for group discussion and farmer exchange program will be implemented for mutual sharing of experiences on a regular program. Video film on jute production technologies will be prepared and arranged for demonstration.

Production, procurement, processing and distribution of certified seed is required to be strengthened. A special program on strengthening of Agricultural Extension for organic manuring should be implemented.

2.20 Jute Extension in non conventional areas in coastal belt of Bangladesh Stages of Jute production at Pakhimara, Patuakhali

2.21 Price Support:

• Farmers need price support for jute fiber. The procurement price of fiber must tally the cost of input and be remunerative to investment. The procurement price should also be based on grades in the primary market. Farmers become helpless when they are bound to sale their fiber according to the sweet will of the middlemen and

farias

. Proper protection should be offered to farmers so that jute production becomes a profitable enterprise.

3. China:

         China has a long history of jute cultivation since 1061 A.D. Kenaf was first introduced into mainland China from Taiwan, originally brought from India. Since the early 1920s kenaf has been extended to 20 provinces.

There are six varieties in cultivation including: Kenaf: (1) Quinpi No. 3, (2) 722 White jute: (1) Yue Yuan No.5

Tossa jute: (1) Kuan ye Current concerns: Kenaf / jute textile, Kenaf pulp industry Therefore: (1) Fiber yield and stalk yield are important (2) Raw material for local industry (3) Export fiber and finished products

4. India

       About 4 million farm families in the eastern part of India are engaged in jute production. About half a million families are employed in jute processing industries. About half million traders are engaged in fiber business.

There are 23 varieties under cultivation including: White jute (

C. capsularis

): JRC – 321, JRC – 212, JRC-7447, JRC 4444, UPC-94, Hybrid c, Kc – 1, KTC-1 Tossa jute (

C.olitorius

): JRO-632, JRO-878, JRO-7835, JRO – 524, TJ – 40, JRO – 3690, KOM – 62 Kenaf (

H.cannabinus

): Hc-583, AMC-108 Mesta (

H.sabdariffa

): Hs – 4288, Hs – 791, AMV – 1, AMV – 2, AMV – 3, AMV – 4 Jute faces strong competition from pre-kharif paddy, vegetables and sesame. Kenaf faces strong competition from ground nut in the Andhrapradesh. Market uncertainty and shortage of retting water are common problems

5. Indonesia:

      Jute, kenaf and roselle are cultivated in Java, Lumpung and South Kalimantan provinces. About 80% of the fiber crops are grown in Java. The demand for land for food crops production is increasing. Thus fiber crops are being replaced by food crops, mainly by rice and corn.

Five varieties are grown commercially including: White jute ( Kenaf ( C. capsulais H. cannabinus Roselle ( H. sabdaiffa ): (1) Cc-15, (2) Cc-22 ): (1) Hc-48, (2) Hc-G 45 ): (1) Hs – 40 The need for fiber for packaging and paper pulp is increasing. Research for establishing fiber crops in poor soils and stressed climatic condition of South Kalimantan and South Sumatra needed.

6. Nepal:

Out of 75 districts, jute is cultivated in 7 Terrai districts. Of these, 3 districts namely Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari account for most of the jute area. There are five varieties of jute grown commercially including: White jute (

C. capsulais

): (1) JRC – 321, (2) JRC 212 Tossa jute (

C. olitorius

): (1) JRO – 632, (2) JRO – 524, (3) JRO – 7835 There has been declining trend of jute production in the recent past. There is urgent need for variety improvement to address the major production constraints.

7. Thailand:

      Major producing area of roselle is in the North-Eastern and Central part of the country. There are some limited areas where kenaf and jute can be grown. The fiber crop is the third most important economic crop in this region after sugarcane and cassava.

There has been a declining trend of fiber crop production in the recent past. The reasons for declining trend among others were low yields of the available varieties, competition with other remunerative crops like sugarcane and cassava, biotic and a biotic stresses. There are six varieties: Roselle ( Kenaf ( H.sabdaiffa

): (1) Non Soong – 2, (2) Ton Kiew H. cannabinus Tossa jute ( Kaen -1.

C. olitorius ): (1) Kk – 60, (2) 977044 ): (1) Non Soong – 1, (2) Khon High yielding varieties of Roselle, Tossa Jute and Kenaf needed.

8. Conclusion:

• • Environmental awareness across the globe has created a better prospect for natural fiber like jute. Many traditional products of jute and recent innovation like geo-jute and paper pulp may have intensified demand. But in that regard jute is desired to be cent per cent organic and environment friendly.

Organic farming of jute through the use of appropriate varieties, organic manures, compost, cultural practices, crop rotation, mixed cropping, integrated pest management and integrated crop management is urged. Ribbon retting needs extension in place of traditional stem retting.

Thanks