At 300-year-old Ghior jute haat, crores of taka still change hands every Wednesday
Every Wednesday, the Ghior haat in Manikganj comes alive with jute trading. On this one day of the week, farmers and traders arrive with jute from far and wide. After the bargaining ends, thousands of maunds of jute change hands and crores of taka are transacted. But although jute fetches a good price in the market, the supply is not what it used to be. With new markets springing up, jute cultivation shrinking and river erosion eating away at its space, the more than 300-year-old traditional haat is losing its past glory.
Built near the Dhaleshwari and Ichamati rivers, Ghior haat was once one of the biggest centres of jute trading. Farmers and traders brought jute here not only from Manikganj but from various surrounding districts too. Trading runs from morning to noon every Wednesday. Wholesale traders buy jute here and supply it to jute mills in Narayanganj, Khulna, Jashore and other parts of the country.
People connected with the haat say it has sat at Ghior every Wednesday since the British era. There was once a small river port beside the haat. Farmers and traders came by large boats loaded with jute from Faridpur, Rajbari, Tangail, Dhaka and Pabna, besides Manikganj. Alongside the boatloads of jute, piles of jute were stacked in the fields around the haat. With time, communications and the nature of the market have changed. As new markets have grown in different areas, the supply of jute to Ghior haat has also fallen.
According to the district Department of Agricultural Extension, jute was cultivated on 4,530 hectares of land in Manikganj district this year, 250 hectares more than last year. Jute production in the district this year was 13,750 metric tons.
Farmers who come to sell jute at the haat say that although they are getting good prices, they face various problems in production and processing. The shortage of water needed for retting jute has become a major obstacle. With less rainfall this year and not enough monsoon water, they suffered in retting the jute, and much of the jute did not turn golden in colour. Yet golden-coloured, high-quality jute commands a comparatively higher price in the market. Despite its long tradition, the haat also lacks necessary facilities. River erosion is shrinking the haat's space day by day.
Wholesale trader Asim Roy says mainly tossa and white varieties of jute are grown in this region. About 80 tons of jute were traded at the last haat. Depending on quality, jute now sells at 4,600 to 5,300 taka per maund. Farmers are getting good prices this year; last year the highest price for good-quality jute was 4,500 taka per maund. In his words, "Our family has been in the jute business for three generations."
Trader Uttam Aich says his father was in the jute business, and he himself has been involved since 1986. At one time, 700 to 1,000 maunds of jute were bought by boat. Now, with jute cultivation reduced, jute is not available as before. Even so, an average of 5,000 to 6,000 maunds of jute arrive at Ghior haat every Wednesday.
Lal Chan, a farmer from the Nagarpur area of Tangail, says: "Since before independence I have been coming to this Ghior haat to sell rice, jute and mustard. In the monsoon, a few of us farmers together bring our goods to the haat by boat. It costs less to travel, and there is less hassle carrying the goods."
Jamal Uddin, a farmer from Bachamara village in Daulatpur upazila, says he cultivated jute on six bighas of land this year, but the quality was not very good. A month ago he sold jute at this haat at 3,700 taka per maund. Today he brought 10 maunds. He first asked 5,000 taka per maund, but the traders would not pay more than 4,700 taka. In the end, he sold at that price.
Nur Islam, a farmer from Charkatari village in the same upazila, says: "In the past, traders came to this Ghior haat from different parts of the country with big boats full of jute. Boatloads of jute were traded. Big piles of jute could be seen in the college field beside the haat too. That scene is no longer there. With new markets opening in different places, jute arrivals at this haat have fallen. Still, more jute arrives at Ghior than at other nearby haats."
Shahjahan Siraj, deputy director of the district Department of Agricultural Extension, says jute was cultivated on 4,530 hectares in Manikganj district this year, 250 hectares more than last year, and production was 13,750 metric tons. He said farmers are becoming interested in jute cultivation because of a favourable environment, improved jute seed varieties and government grants.
According to jute traders and buyers, Ghior haat still holds its importance with crores of taka in jute trading every Wednesday. But to preserve this haat's heritage, more than good prices alone, what is needed is increased jute supply, solutions to farmers' production and retting problems, and effective steps to stop river erosion. If these problems are not solved in time, the very existence of this haat, which has already lost its lustre, could come under threat.
