Kendrapara: Kendrapara has an agrarian economy. Nowadays, kharif paddy is being cultivated here widely, while in the past, during this time of the year, one could see wide swathes of white jute and tossa jute cultivation. However, jute farming is at an all-time low this year in the coastal district. The Jute Research Station at Jajanga village under Kendrapara Sadar block has been lying neglected and is virtually nonextant. Jute growers are facing a double whammy as the Agriculture department has been lousy in providing seeds and those available in the open market are too costly, and do not guarantee a good harvest. Harihar Behera, a farmer from Jajanga village said the golden fibre was once a popular cash crop and the district had earned a name for itself in jute farming. It kept the thriving agro-based economy of the region running. The research station was established in view of the promising prospects and rising popularity of jute cultivation among the farmers. The scientists here had even developed three new varieties of jute seed.
Unfortunately, now the research station is functioning in just pen and paper, he said. The lackadaisical attitude of the authorities, lack of a policy and its implementation in favour of jute cultivation and booming polythene and plastic industry are the reason why jute is losing its position among the farmers. Barring a few farmers, many have withdrawn from jute cultivation as in the absence of government sponsorship they need to spend more to buy seeds from the open market.
As a result, jute cultivation in the district has dropped by 90 per cent this year compared to last year, farmers said. Farmer leader Bidhu Bhusan Mohapatra said jute cultivation was carried out on 2,152 hectares in 2005. It was extended to 8,000 hectares in 2010 as the climate was conducive for the crop. This prompted the state government to establish a jute research centre on 46 acres at Jajanga on the outskirts of the town. The centre started developing various types of jute seeds following which jute cultivation was extended to 14,000 hectares in 2014.
However, the centre has stopped selling jute seeds to farmers for last five-six years. Farmers said the district requires 30 quintals of seeds for jute cultivation annually but received only two quintals of seeds in 2018. That was the last time the Centre provided seeds to farmers. The sales counter at the research centre has now stopped selling jute seeds. Now, farmers interested in jute cultivation have to buy seeds from open market at exorbitant prices, resulting in a 90 per cent drop in jute cultivation this year, the farmer leader added. Haladhar Das of Derabish said farmers are turning away from jute cultivation due to lack of government sponsorship. He said the state and Centre have announced they would promote jute sacks instead of plastic sacks to discourage plastic use.
However, despite a favourable atmosphere for jute cultivation, farmers have failed to get any support. This has forced them to take up cultivation of other crops, he said. Niranjan Parida, a farmer from Kansar panchayat who has cultivated jute on 12 acres this year, said the soil in Kendrapara district is ideal for jute cultivation.
Earlier, he was earning good amount by transporting his harvest to Kolkata. However, things have changed as he was forced to buy jute seeds from the open market as seeds were not available with the Agriculture department. Saraswati Samal of Paripangara village said a jute-based industry was managed by 60 women self help groups here. Now, they purchase jute from outside due to scant availability of the fibre in the local market.