DHAKA: Bangladesh is already tired of keeping the tradition of jute in the world market. We know that the jute-stick is only used as firewood and also for fencing poor men’s thatched shed.

Though it is used as firewood but it has no significant role as firewood because it is combusted rapidly.

However, textiles and jute state minister Mirza Azam MP said a very prospective story of jute-sticks which will bring fortune for the country.

He said that in the foreign market one ton of jute-stick charcoal (ash) fetches one thousand to twelve hundred dollars. In an exclusive interview with banglanews, Mirza Azam told about the potentialities of jute-stick charcoals.

Disclosing the information that jute-stick ash is used as an important part of water purifying machine, he said that the five lakh tons of ash could be collected annually from jute-stick fire wood.

Replying to a question the minister said that there are 86 textile mills and 89 jute mills in the country. The mills which were closed till 2008 were reopened after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to power.

Due to her sincere efforts 26 jute mills were reopened and to avoid loss those were leased out to private enterprises.

The minister said the quantity of jute produced in the country can be exported after meeting domestic demand. But due to internal chaos last year no jute could be exported.

Generally, India, Sudan, Africa, Thailand and some European countries import jute from Bangladesh.

The state minister said that once jute was called ‘golden fiber’ as during undivided India’s huge foreign currency in terms of gold was earned.

But our jute lost that glory for several reasons. The demand of jute and jute products decreased substantially with the introduction of synthetic fiber and plastic bags instead of jute bags.

The lost glory is going to be back with the awareness of environment. The demand of jute goods has increased worldwide. Various handicrafts made of jute are exported to different countries.

Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina has taken initiatives for keeping the demand of jute goods in the world market, the minister added.

Jute is produced in all the districts of the country. But it is produced most in Faridpur and Mymensingh.

Jute mils are mostly located in the port cities like Khulna, Chittagong and Narayanganj.

On the other hand, government has attached importance on the use of environment friendly jute products. Specially, for maintaining quality of food the use jute bag and jute container would be made mandatory.

There will be mass publicity in the media to create awareness among the people for using jute products.

Side by side, government will go hard line against the use of environment destroying plastic bags.

The government has already enacted stern law in 2010 against the use of plastic bags. The law was not enforced for various reasons.

However, from June 1 government will carry out raids across the country through mobile courts to bring the plastic bag users under law.

The plastic bag producers will be identified and punished as per law.

The plastic bag producers will be sentenced to suffer jail for one year with a fine of Taka 50 thousand.

The textile state minister said that if we want to keep our textile mills running uninterruptedly then the machineries and its parts should be on constant change and updating. If not then the mills give trouble and hamper production.

He said that if the mills are not modernized and rehabilitated regularly then there is huge loss of thread. The mill owners cost increases for excess power consumption and manpower. This pushes the owners to close down the mills to avoid loss. This also pushes the labors out of employment.

But frequent modernization of jute mills does not require as the mills set up in 1953/1954 are still running well. But this is not applicable for textile mills.

As we have entered the digital era, we must add new machineries to suit the demand and taste of the consumers.

We have decided to bring some closed textile mills under project for complete rehabilitation by setting new and latest machineries.

Mirza Azam informed banglanews that after BMR of the textile mills we can also make valuable articles from ‘jhut’ by which many household articles mainly costly curtains, seat of sofa, cushion and pillow can be made. 

BDST: 1530 HRS, MAY 28, 2014