Bangladesh continues to import jute seeds from other countries, Textiles and Jute Minister Khondkar Abdul Muktadir said on Saturday, announcing a “crash programme” to make the nation self-sufficient in jute seeds in the shortest possible time.
“We call jute the golden fibre. Jute was once our main export item. Bangladesh’s jute seeds now come from other countries,” the minister said at the inauguration of a five-day multi-purpose jute products fair at Shahid Zia Hall premises in Chashara, Narayanganj.
“We have taken a crash programme so that Bangladesh becomes self-sufficient in jute seeds in the shortest possible time. We need four and a half thousand to five thousand metric tons of jute seeds every year,” he added.
The minister said the government has already taken steps to increase the domestic use of jute products.
“A circular has already been issued from our cabinet so that we can use more jute-made products and items in our government offices. The folders of the cabinet files we receive are made of jute. The official bags used by ministers are also made of jute,” Muktadir said.
“We will increase the use of jute and discourage polythene. In the coming days, everyone will see the practical results of that,” he added.
The jute minister further said steps are being taken to provide more research and technical support to the sector for better designs and diversification of jute products.
“We are taking steps to provide more research assistance and technical support so that, through the multi-faceted use of jute products abroad, you will see the results within one or two years,” he said.
Claiming that the use of jute products is increasing day by day, entrepreneurs at the fair said their goal is to promote jute products and increase public interest.
“The prices of these products are increasing day by day in the world market. We are currently marketing at low prices. Jute products are 100 percent environmentally friendly, and jute is called the golden fibre of Bengal,” they said.
Stating that they are making various products for use and home decoration with jute, they said they are getting a positive response from people. “People did not understand this much before, but now they do,” they added.
Welcoming the initiative, visitors at the fair said jute is Bangladesh’s heritage and environmentally friendly, so such initiatives should be held consistently in Narayanganj.
In their opinion, jute has not been marketed as an environmentally friendly product in the way it needed to be.
Present at the event were State Minister for Textiles and Jute Md Shariful Alam, Member of Parliament for Narayanganj-5 constituency Abul Kalam, Secretary of the Textiles and Jute Ministry Abdun Naser Khan, Director General of the Jute Directorate Syed Md Nurul Basir, and Deputy Commissioner of Narayanganj Md Rayhan Kabir, among others.
