HARVESTING
Jute mallow is harvested 30Aca –aCoe60 days planting,
depending on variety. Some varieties are sensitive to short day length, causing
them to bloom prematurely. These varieties should be harvested 20Aca, -aCoe 40
days after planting, just before pods develop. Plants may be harvested once or
several times. Once-over harvest is adapted for quick growing varieties. Whole
plant (20Aca,-aCae30 cm tall) are pulled from soil with roots, washed and tied
in bundles. With multiple harvests, young leaves and shoots are picked every
two to three weeks.
New side shoots will develop and harvesting can be repeated
three or four times. Frequent harvesting delays flowering and prolongs the
harvest period. Jute mallow wilts rapidly after harvest. Harvest should be done
during the cooler time of the day, such as early morning or late afternoon, and
keep the produce cool and shaded. Jute harvested in Bangladesh are the
strongest in the world as well as richest in color. Jute is also harvested in some other places in
the world like India, china, Thailand , Brazil, Spain and Australia to some
extents. Being environmental friendly jute products are very much popular.
PROCESSING
Jute plants grow 2-3 m in height
with a 1-2 cm diameter stalk. Jute is harvested in the rainy season in
Bangladesh and grows best in a warm and humid climate. Jute plants are cut and
composed first into water and then extracted from the stalk for drying and
further processing to make various jute products like jute yarn and twine, jute
Hessian/burlap cloths and bags, jute sacking cloths for jute sacks and bags,
gunny bags, carpet backing cloths, jute mesh, geo-textiles, scrim fabrics for
soil erosion control, carpets, rugs and other diversified modern jute goods
like espadrille shoes, fashion bags etc. jute sacks are very popular worldwide
for packaging agriculture commodities like rice, wheat, corn, coffee, cocoa
beans and other grains. Food grade jute bags for packing sugar, salt, flour
etc. are also available. Cement bags and D. W. Nitrate bags have its own
popularity. Bangle white and bangle Tossa are two main category of raw jute.
Each category has sub-categories graded by quality of raw jute.
Farmers cut the flowering stems down,
dry them under the sun and then soak them in flowering water to loosen the bark
and dissolve the gum that holds the woody fibers together. This processing is
called retting. The fiber is then extracted by hand. The fiber in jute are
uneven in diameter and are highly resistant to stretching but individually
brittle. So they develop microscopic fractures during the weaving process. This
two factors give jute its natural and slightly rough appearance. Jute is the
major item in the world’s commodity markets and the finer grades can be seen in
fashion, luggage and home furnishing. It is also known as Hessian and burlap.
MARKETING
STRATEGIES
Jute mallow wilts rapidly, common
practice in markets and shops is to sprinkle with water to keep its fresh
appearance. If uprooted, the vegetables can be kept fresh for some days by
putting it into basin with the roots in the water and sold in bunches or by
weight.
REFERENCES
·
Basu, G, A. K.
Sinha, and S. N. Chatopadhyay. “Properties of Jute Based Ternary Blended Bulked
Yarns” Man-Made Textiles in India.
Vol. 48, no. 9 (Sep. 2005) 350-353. (AN 18605324)
·
Chattopadhyay, S.
N., N. C. Pan, and A. Day “A Novel Process of Dyeing of Jute Fabric Using
Reactive Dye”. Textile Industry of India.
Vol. 42, no. 9 (Sep 2004): 15-22. (AN 17093709)
·
Doraiswamy, I.,
A. Basu, and K. P. Chellamani.
“Development of Fine Quality Jute Fibres”. Colourage Nov. 6-8 1998, 2p (AN
TDH0624047199903296)
·
Kozlowski, R.,
and S. Manys. “Green Fibres”. The Textile
Institute. Textile Industry: Winning Strategies for the New Millennium-Papers
presented at the World Conference. Feb 10-13 1999:29 (13p). (AN
TDH064634200106392)
·
Madhu, T.
“Bio-Composites –An Overview”. Textile
Magazine. Vol. 43, no.8 (June 2002):
·
Maulik, S. R.
“Chemical Modification of Jute”. Asian Textile Journal. Volume 10, no. 7 (Jul.
2001):
·
Moses, J. Jeyakodi,
and M. Ramasamy. “Quality Improvement on Jute and Jute Cotton Materials Using
Enzyme Treatment and Natural Dyeing”. Man-Made Textiles in India. Vol. 47, no 7
(Jul. 2004): 252-255. (AN 14075527)
·
Pan, N. C., S. N.
Chattopadhyay, and A. Day “Dyeing of Jute Fabric with Natural Dye Extracted
from Marigold Flower”. Asian Textile Journal. Vol. 13, no. 7 (Jul. 2004):
80-82. (AN 15081016)