Bangladesh earns $1.2 billion from export of jute and jute goods in the last fiscal year while the jute sector contributes 1.4 percent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
"Jute contributes 1.4 percent to GDP and 26 percent to agriculture, which means jute contributes about eight billion to total GDP," Director General of Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI) DrMd Abdul Awal told a workshop in Dhaka, an official release said.
The BJRI organized the workshop on "Progress, obstacle and doings of jute sector" aiming to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute MdRuhul Amin Talukdar and senior officials of BJRI, among others, were present at the workshop.
Awal called upon relevant organizations to take necessary and effective steps to boost jute and jute goods production.
He said, "Alongside commercial side, jute is an eco-friendly crop as jute absorbs 15 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releases 11 tons of oxygen during 100 days of the crop"
Family nutrition can be met by growing jute in the homestead yard, Awal added.
"One of the problems with jute is the seed problem. This problem can be eliminated if jute seeds are produced in jute land, he said adding the government is working to produce quality of seed of jute for increasing production of jute."
The government has taken various initiative to increase export of jute goods in various countries through improving internal market management.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared jute goods as the ‘Product of the Year’ in 2023. In line with the declaration of the prime minister, the Ministry of Commerce has formed ‘Jute Products Business Promotion Council’ to expedite the development of this promising sector.
Prime Minister has directed the embassies and foreign missions abroad to exhibit the jute-made goods so that the foreigners could know about the variations of such valuable item.
Bangladesh now held around 72 percent of the global export earning of jute while the demand for jute bags now increased to 70 crore from the existing 10 crore. Besides, the demand for other jute-made goods has exceeded over taka thousand crore.
Bangladesh fetched around $1.13 billion in the last fiscal year (FY22) through exporting jute and jute-made goods for which the golden fibre has helping to dream others for a bright future.
