Scanty rainfall is hampering the process of rotting jute plants during the peak period of monsoon, much to the worry of the growers in many districts.

Due to inadequate rain, jute plants are drying up in the fields, said several farmers in Gaibandha, reports our correspondent.

According to Agriculture Extension Department, this season jute cultivation target was fixed on 15,863 hectare of land but 14,265 hectares of land were brought under plantation in seven upazilas of the district.

For absence of sufficient rain, the water pools are yet to store necessary rainwater for rotting jute, plunging the farmers into great difficulties, said Amjad Hossain, a jute grower of Haldia village in Saghata upazila.

This year jute growers may not get fair price because of delaying the process of jute cultivation

and rotting, said worried jute growers.

Besides, the farmers could not start plantation of aman seedlings in the dried up lands.

Although solvent farmers have prepared their aman fields using irrigation pump, the seedlings are new getting yellowish for want of sufficient rainwater.

Farmers in Jhenidah district are also facing crisis of water needed for rotting green jute in the season.

The situation turned grave as the water bodies in the district have almost dried up, reports our correspondent.

Farmers feared that the crisis would be acute this year as rainfall was scanty in the rainy season.

Abdul Latif, a farmer of Roghunathpur village in Kaliganj upazila, said that water at the local water bodies like ditches, canals and ponds has dried up because of poor rainfall in the monsoon.

He said, they might be

deprived of fair prices of the fibre this year for low quality as they were unable to rot jute in proper time.

Contacted, the deputy director of the department of agriculture extension, Jhenidah Hazrat Ali admitted that severe water crisis was seriously hampering jute rotting in the region.

Jute grower Helal Uddin at Teesta village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila told our correspondent, "I have cultivated jute on eight bighas of land this season and I have already harvested it from five bighas land. I am rotting jute in a canal beside my homestead but I am facing serious trouble due to shortage of water in this water body".

This year 4,250 hectares of land were prepared for jute cultivation in five upazilas of the district, said an agriculture extension department official.

Inadequate rainfall is hampering jute rotting seriously, he added.