'Large-scale sowing of jute can save $100 million annually'

Large scale sowing of jute in Pakistan can save $100 million annually being spent on import of this fibre crop from Bangladesh. Pakistan Jute Mills Association (PJMA) has launched an initiative to convince farmers of Punjab for commercial sowing of jute crop in Pakistan with the assurance to extend help in shape of free seed, guidance from sowing to retting and buying all the produce.
'Pakistan needs only 150,000 acres to meet the requirement of 12 jute mills situated in Pakistan. Nevertheless, at present due to government decision of switching over to polypropylene bags instead of Jute has forced closure of five Jute mills during last two years.' This was the crux of speeches delivered at a seminar on 'sowing of jute in Pakistan' arranged by the Pakistan Jute Mills Association (PJMA) in collaboration of Ayub Agriculture Research Institute (AARI) Faisalabad and Punjab Agriculture Department here on Tuesday. The office bearers of the Agriculture Reporters Association also attended the seminar.
Agronomy Research Institute, a department of the AARI, Director Dr Abdus Sattar speaking on the occasion stressed the need for ensuring profitability to the growers to convince them for switching over from their traditional sowing practices to this crop. He also urged the growers to go for sowing of Jute to save precious foreign exchange of the country and supporting the industry, which was providing direct employment to over 4000 people and indirectly supporting over 100,000 families.
Pakistan Jute Mills Association (PJMA) Vice Chairman Mian Meraj Din during his brief speech assured that the Association would not only buy whole crop planted by the growers but would also ensure that they would get more price than cotton. He said that the Association would extend full support from plantation to marketing of their crop and all the technical assistance growers needed to adopt this new technology would be provided.
District Officer (Agriculture) Muzaffargarh Jamshed Gashkori called for setting up demonstration plants throughout the province to provide a chance to the growers to witness themselves sowing of Jute and its advantage for the growers and the country.
Ayub Agriculture Research Institute (AARI) Agronomist Mukhtar Ahmed Sheikh on this occasion gave a technical presentation to the growers about jute plantation. He said that it is suitable for the areas near rivers, low lying and irrigated areas. He said that best growing period for fiber crop is from April 15 to May 31 and if growers are sowing jute for seed multiplication that best time is from May 15 to June 15. He said this crop is easy, as it is less labour intensive. Land is prepared with two ploughings only, it needed less application of Fertilizer, pesticides and watering, sowing can be made both by drill or broadcast measures and need less take care than cotton.
He said, however, growers need to pay attention on weeds to save the crop. It is grown in 120 days and said that in some African countries its soft leaves are also used for diet, which contains lots of iron, calcium, Vitamin c and e and other nutrients. Large scale of farmers attended the seminar and expressed their interest in sowing of Jute with the condition that full technical guidance should be given besides free seed fertilizer and buy back guarantee.