Bangladesh PM confers agricultural status on jute

07 Mar '16

2 min read

In a shot in the arm for Bangladeshi jute industry, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hsa announced that jute production and jute will be considered as agri-products.

She made the announcement at an award function honouring different organizations and individuals for their contribution in implementing the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act-2010 on Sunday, according to Bangladeshi newspapers.The PM also inaugurated a three-day Jute Goods Fair-2016.

Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Textiles and Jute Ministry Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Jute Minister Md Emaz Uddin Pramanik, State Minister for Textiles and Jute Mirza Azam and Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed had earlier in their speeches demanded that jute be accorded the status of an agricultural product.

Chowdhury said the government could not subsidise jute products as jute did not have a status similar to that of agricultural products.

Following their calls, Hasina said, “I would like to announce that we will consider jute and jute products as agricultural products.”

The prime minister emphasised the need to increase the production and use of jute goods.

"We have to ensure diversified use of jute considering the economy of both farmers and mill workers as well as its environment friendly aspects. Bangladesh still has immense opportunity to earn huge foreign exchange from jute, called our golden fibre,"she said.

The prime minister assured announcing new wage commission to raise the wages of the workers of the mill and factories keeping consistency with the new pay scale of the civil servants.

She said jute is an important agricultural item of Bangladesh which has long been neglected despite being one of the major foreign exchange earning sector with huge potentials of diversified use. (SH)

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