BJMC closes all 6 buying centres in Rangpur as jute harvest begins

The centes have been closed mainly due to lack of funds, Abdul Mutalib Mondol, assistant director in the jute ministry, told this correspondent here when contacted.

There is no possibility of their reopening soon, he said.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Jute is selling at between Tk 240,00 and Tk 270,00 now as there are less number of buyers, according to reports from different markets.

A BJMC official preferring anonymity said the price was around Tk 350 late last month before closure of the purchasing centres.

Bulk quantities of jute are being smuggled out of the country, traders and farmers said. Middlemen are purchasing jute at throwaway prices and smuggling those.

In the border areas, some people, allegedly financed by Indian purchasers, are buying jute directly from farmers, sources said at Patgram.

According to sources at Agriculture Extension Department, about six lakh bales of jute are expected to the produced from one lakh and fifty thousand acres of land in greater Rangpur in the current season.

Mentionably, a large number genuine jute traders have huge amounts due from the BJMC for jute supplies last year. The total unpaid amount will be at least Tk five crore in greater Rangpur only, trader Idris Ali said.

But BJMC has closed its purchasing centres without paying thei outstanding bills, he lamented.