A floating jute market in the Jamuna River in Sirajganj is getting popular as both buyers and sellers are being benefited from it by saving transportation costs.
The jute market is being set up on boats on the Jamuna River at Natuarpara haat in Kazipur upazila here.
Jute is cut from the field and processed well after removing its fibers. From the beginning to the end of the selling season, jute buyers and sellers use boats as jute market.
Divided into east and west by the Jamuna River, six out of 12 unions in this upazila are on the eastern bank of the Jamuna while remaining six unions on its western bank. Since there is no flood control embankment on the eastern bank of the Jamuna, floods occur in the six unions on the eastern bank every year. A lot of silt falls on the char lands during floods. And this silt soil becomes a blessing for the char鈥檚 farmers.
In the six unions of the char in Polipara, paddy, jute, corn, chili, sesame, tishi, pulse, sugarcane and other crops are grown in this char area. Currently, due to the high price of jute, the farmers of the char have shifted to cultivating jute.
According to the information provided by the local office of Department of Agriculture Extension, jute has been cultivated on 4,250 arable hectares of land in Kazipur this year. And the majority of the cultivation has taken place in six unions of the char.
The jute market is held in Natuarpara of Kazipur twice in a week. The government receives a huge amount of revenue from this traditional market. This season, this market was leased at Taka 52 lakh.
Since the char area of Kazipur is an agricultural area, the farmers bring their produce to the Natuarpara market almost all year round by boats for sale.
Abdur Rahim, a farmer from Natuarpara char, and Badsha Mia, a farmer from Khasrajbari Char, said agricultural goods can be transported by boats at a lower cost than other mode of transport, including horse-carts.
Traders come here to buy and sell various types of goods by boats.
