SIRAJGANJ. Nov 10: Reason behind the unwillingness of farmers to grow jute is the low price of the "gloden fibre" and things may worse further if the government fails to come up with rescue measures, reports UNB.

Many frustrated farmers were seen taking jute back home from markets due to its unexpected low price.

Farmers here who cultivated jute this year taking loan from money lenders at high interest rate, could not recover their production cost due to poor output of Jute and its low price.

They said the government has authorised various jute mills, including Adamjee. to directly purchase jute from rural farmers through their purchasing centres so that the farmers get the due prices of their produce.

But the mill authorities were learnt to have been buying Jute from middlemen instead of the growers, violating the government directives.

As a result, the farmers are being compelled to sell their produces to the middlemen at

nominal prices.

The middlemen are reportedly purchasing 'Desai' variety of Jute at Tic 250 to Tk 270 per maund while 'Tosa' variety at Tk 300 to Tk 310, which is lower than the government rate.

When asked some officials at the jute purchasing centres said that they were buying jute from the middlemen as many overdue bills of the farmers could not yet be paid.