SM Sahidul Islam, Satkhira

With favourable weather conditions and minimal pest infestation this season, Satkhira has witnessed a bumper production of jute.

Local farmers across the district are now busily engaged in retting the crop in vast wetlands (beels) and water bodies. However, despite the promising yield, growers remain anxious due to climate-induced salinity, rising production costs, and uncertain market prices.

Farmers in the low-lying areas of Kalaroa, Tala, and Satkhira Sadar upazilas are currently working tirelessly to ret their harvested jute. Adequate rainwater accumulated in canals and wetlands has made the traditional retting process—locally known as jaak dewa—significantly easier this year. Bundles of jute stems are systematically submerged under water using clods of earth, banana plants, or hyacinths to ensure high-quality, brightly colored fiber. Retting near the fields has also cut down local transport costs.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), jute was cultivated on 11,675 hectares of land across seven upazilas in Satkhira this season, with a production target set at 142,000 bales. If fair prices prevail in local markets, the total value of the produced jute is expected to cross BDT 200 crore. Upazila-wise cultivation includes Satkhira Sadar: 5,020 hectares, Kalaroa: 3,255 hects , Tala: 3,110 hects , Kaliganj: 101 hects, Assasuni: 95 hects, Debhata: 20 hects and Shyamnagar: 9 hects.

Unlike previous years, damage from fungal root rot, leaf fall, or hairy caterpillar pests has been remarkably low. Mamun Morol, a farmer from Baiguni village in Tala upazila, noted that timely guidance from agricultural officers and government incentives for seeds and fertilizers drastically reduced crop damage. He expects to sell his produce for Tk 30,000 to 35,000 per bigha against an investment of Tk 7,000 to Tk 8,000.

Despite the bumper yield, long-term environmental threats loom large. Seawater intrusion driven by climate change has increased soil salinity, severely hurting seed germination. Consequently, jute cultivation in Satkhira has dropped by 1,210 hectares over the last three years.

Rising input costs pose another major challenge. Palash Hossain, a grower from Naranjhal village in Sadar upazila, shared that higher fertilizer prices and labor wages raised production costs to Tk 19,000–20,000 per bigha this year, up from Tk 15,000–16,000 last season. Farmers fear financial losses if market prices do not compensate for these expenses.

To combat environmental stresses, researchers at the Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI) developed the 'Salinity-Tolerant Deshi Jute-8' (Lalita/BJRI Deshi Pat-8). Experts believe expanding this variety across single-cropped coastal land could enable double-cropping and significantly increase crop intensity. Studies show that sowing early during the dry season using fresh-water irrigation improves germination rates by nearly 20 percent before soil salinity peaks.

However, due to a lack of widespread campaign and awareness, this climate-resilient variety is yet to gain broad popularity among local growers.