Even as the State Government has been promoting jute bags and other jute products to discourage people from using polythene, production of raw jute in Odisha is fast declining.
As per reports of the Agriculture Department, aggregate sown area is going down by around 1,000 hectares (ha) every year.
This year till June, jute has been cultivated in 7,987 ha in around nine districts of the State while last year, the figure was 9,707 ha for the corresponding period. Average area under farming in the last six years has been calculated at 11,000 ha. Ten years back, jute was grown in around 40,000 ha in the State. Department sources said there was a 10 to 15 per cent decrease on an average in jute sown area in the State every year.
This year, the highest area under jute cultivation is in Kendrapara at 2,420 ha followed by Balasore at 1,760 ha and Cuttack 1,415 ha. Districts like Bhadrak, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Puri have less than 1,000 ha each under jute cultivation.
Expressing concern at the trend, Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) report on the price policy of jute stated: “Odisha, which had a vibrant jute cultivation in the past, is gradually losing its jute acreage and its cultivation is almost on the verge of becoming extinct.”
Researchers said climate change and lack of facilities for post-harvest management and marketing of the crop are the primary reasons behind the declining trend. At present, it is just the small and marginal farmers __ particularly in coastal areas __ who are taking up jute cultivation whereas others are more inclined towards paddy and cash crops. They said even the average jute yield is lower than what the State can produce.
Although the Government has taken steps like introducing high-yielding variety of seeds, but many farmers have diversified to oil seed cultivation due to lack of incentives.
A senior officer of the Agriculture Department said the Government on its part has initiated many things like advisory and training services to farmers to increase jute productivity and organising demonstrations on plant protection, cultivation and retting techniques.