CORCHORUS 



Jute 



THE JUTE PLANT 



First Becord. 



1872-3 

 Estimate. 



1902-3 

 Actual. 



Prospects. 



Present Area. 



New Areas. 



jute at the beginning of the 19th century. Hamilton estimated that 

 there were approximately 30,000 acres under the crop in Dinajpur. At the 

 present time that district possesses about three times that area ; but what 

 is far more to the point, it is one of the unimportant districts in jute pro- 

 duction. Unfortunately early statistics do not exist for the important 

 districts of Bengal. In 1872-3 Mr. Hem Chunder Kerr estimated that 

 there were one million acres under the crop, distributed over an area of 

 37 millon acres, and further, that should the demand be doubled, the pro- 

 duction of that amount would absorb only one-eighteenth of the available 

 and suitable land. It has since been more than doubled. The total 

 cultivated area of Bengal in 1902-3 was close on 60 million acres, with, in 

 addition, something like 14 million acres returned as culturable waste. 

 All Bengal land is of course not suitable for jute, but these figures never- 

 theless give a tangible conception of the possibilities of the future, or 

 rather of the adjustments possible on a still further increased production 

 of jute being called for and responded to. In 1903-4 the returns of 

 Bengal jute cultivation manifested 2,275,050 acres (including 38,250 acres 

 in Assam) as under the crop. This may be taken as 3 per cent, of the 

 cultivated area of the province. It gave a yield of 7,241,000 bales (of 400 

 Ib.) valued at 12 crores of rupees. Similarly, in 1904-5, the area was 

 estimated at 2,899,700 acres, and the yield at 7,400,000 bales ; in 1905-6 

 at 3,181,600 acres, and the yield 8,384,000 bales. The final forecast for 

 1906, issued by the Department of Land Records and Agriculture, showed 

 the total area for the two provinces of Bengal and Eastern Bengal and 

 Assam to have been 3,482,900 acres and the outturn 8,843,000 bales, and 

 the estimate for 1906-7 to be 3,883,200 acres and the outturn 9,127,400 

 bales. Of that estimate the district of Mymensingh was calculated to 

 have had 847,100 acres; Eangpur 455,800 acres; Dacca 312,000 acres ; 

 Tippera 310,000 acres ; and Bogra 200,000 acres ; while Faridpur, Pabna, 

 Dinajpur, Rajshahi, and Jalpaiguri had each from 120,000 to 150,000 acres. 

 The balance was accounted for by some four districts that have usually 

 from 20,000 to 60,000 acres each, and a like number of districts each with 

 less than 10,000 acres under this fibre plant. Lastly it may be here added 

 the portion of the jute area comprised within the province of Bengal proper 

 was in 1906-7 estimated to be 931,100 acres, of which Purnea was 

 supposed to have had 264,900 acres ; Jessore 142,800 acres ; Murshidabad 

 95,000 acres ; Nadia 93,000 acres ; 24-Parganas 86,000 acres ; and Hughli 

 65,000 acres all other districts much smaller areas. Within the past few 

 years two new Indian areas of production have begun to attract attention, 

 namely Assam (proper) and Nepal. From the lower valleys and terai of 

 the last-mentioned, fibre is exported and conveyed into the United Pro- 

 vinces and Bengal. It has been ascertained that this is mainly baboi 

 grass, for the use of the Lucknow paper-mills, but to some extent jute is 

 also supplied and enters Bengal through the district of Purnea. The 

 Assam production (say 90,000 bales i.e. 330,000 cwt.) does not seem to 

 have materially increased for some time past. The Nepal jute, though at 

 present relatively unimportant, has manifested a distinct power of ex- 

 pansion. In 1899-1900 it was 70,389 maunds, valued at Ks. 2,80,341 ; 

 in 1902-3 it had become 149,518 maunds, valued at Rs. 5,08,898 ; and in 

 1904-5, 205,114 maunds, valued at Rs. 9,01,154. At the same time it may 

 be safely added that no indication has as yet been given that, should 

 occasion arise, Bengal might not even now materially increase its jute 



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