To establish an environment friendly, sustainable and international standard export-oriented charcoal industry the authorities concerned have formulated the ‘Charcoal Policy, 2022’.
In order to develop charcoal production from jute sticks and related industries by any other material including jute the Ministry of Textiles and Jute has formulated the policy in the national interest.
At present, charcoal is being produced in about 40 factories in several districts of the country including Faridpur, Rajbari and Magura. At present, the country is earning about Tk 40 crore by exporting 7071.42 tonnes of charcoal annually.
Apart from increasing export earnings and revenue through increasing charcoal production, there is a possibility of creating employment opportunities for about 20,000 people directly and indirectly. So far there has been no policy on the establishment and production of this potential charcoal industry.
The charcoal industry is environmentally friendly as it emits very low levels of carbon from eco-friendly jute.
Charcoal production from jute sticks has created new possibilities for multifaceted use of jute. Charcoal is prepared by burning, cooling and compressing jute sticks at a specific temperature. Charcoal contains 75 percent carbon. Charcoal is used as a raw material for water purification, fireworks, life-saving antitoxin tablets, cosmetics, photocopiers and computer inks.
The policy states that the Jute Department under the Ministry of Textiles and Jute may work with different Ministries and Departments / Directorates (e.g. Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Financial Institutions Division, Energy and Mineral Resources Division, Bangladesh Bank, Department of Environment, Directorate of Explosives etc.) as required for development and expansion of charcoal industry.
Where necessary, efforts will be made to achieve the desired solution through inter-ministerial / inter-departmental communication and coordination in overcoming obstacles to the development of the charcoal industry.
It will take initiative to formulate and implement capacity building plans for the conservation and management of intellectual property related to the charcoal industry by setting appropriate standards for charcoal, and setting up research institutes for this purpose if necessary.