The government is working to provide high-quality, eco-friendly jute school bags to students across the country as part of a new environmental initiative, State Minister for Textiles and Jute Md Shariful Alam said on Monday.
Under a pilot project, the bags will be distributed free of charge to students of one selected primary school in every upazila of Bangladesh. Shariful said if this initiative proves successful, the government plans to expand the programme to include all primary school students nationwide.
This project has been undertaken following the directives of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Shariful made these remarks while speaking to journalists after inspecting the bag production activities at Jute Fiber BD in Jainabari, Savar. During the visit, he reviewed the progress of the school bags being manufactured for the pilot phase.
Providing details on the project’s scale, he said one primary school has been selected from each of the 495 upazilas in the country. With an average of 200 students per school, approximately 99,000 students will receive these jute bags during the pilot stage.
To support the industry, 54 small entrepreneurs have been selected for production, and the bags will be collected through JDPC PLC.
Addressing questions regarding the expansion of jute exports, Shariful said the Ministry of Textiles and Jute is collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture to achieve self-sufficiency in jute seed production, as the country currently relies on imports.
He added that the government is providing training and loans to jute farmers, alongside training and patronage for entrepreneurs producing diversified jute products.
He also touched upon environmental challenges, adding that many rivers, canals, and water bodies have silted up, leading to a water crisis for jute retting. This has negatively impacted the quality and production of jute as farmers struggle to rot the stalks on time.
To resolve this, a canal-digging initiative has been launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. He reaffirmed that the government is working in an integrated manner to protect both jute farmers and the wider jute industry.
Sharf Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, secretary of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, along with other senior ministry officials, accompanied the minister during the inspection.
