‘Culprits’ responsible for ruining jute sector will be identified

From Bangladesh

Minister for Textiles and Jute Abdul Latif Siddiqui Sunday said the local ‘culprits’, responsible for ruining the country’s jute sector, should be identified to revive the past glory of ‘golden fibre’, reports BSS.

“There are allegations that foreign quarters are destroying our jute sector but it is not possible without the help of local collaborators,” he said while opening a two-day international conference on jute at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the city.

Criticising the World Bank (WB) policy on the country’s jute, Siddiqui said this international money lending agency had prescribed Bangladesh to shut down the Adamjee Jute Mills. “At the same time, the WB provided assistance to India for setting up new jute mills and renovating the old ones in West Bengal,” he added.

He said that those, who worked in 1971 against the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent state, were also out with a deep-rooted conspiracy to cripple the country economically.

“We do not want to export raw jute without any value addition. We must prepare ourselves for exporting jute by adding value to raw jute,” he said.

The Secretariat of the International Jute Study Group (IJSG) organised the conference on ‘International Conference on “Prospects of Jute and Kenaf as Natural Fibres” in line with the UNGA — declared International Year of Natural Fibers-2009.

The main objective of the conference is to build an international framework for creating global awareness about usefulness and beneficial attributes of natural fibres.

Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities of Malaysia Kohillan Pillai spoke as the special guest while Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), Amsterdam, Ambassador Ali Mchumo was the guest of honour.

First Secretary of the Delegation of the European Commission (EC) in Dhaka Charles Whiteley presided over the session, which was also addressed by Textiles and Jute Secretary Abdul Haque Chowdhury, Deputy High Commissioner of India in Bangladesh Mukta D Tomar, Chairman of Private Sector Consultative Board K R Hasan and Secretary General of IJSG Sudripta Roy.

Kohillan Pillai said the Malaysian government was committed to work closely with IJSG for the betterment of the jute and kenaf sector. “We will work for fulfilling the objectives of IJSG for development of Kenaf as a fibre in Malaysia,” he said.

Other speakers emphasised the need for diversification of jute and Kenaf products like paper and home-textiles in huge volumes to revive the past glory of these natural fibres.

Important issues related to jute agriculture, various aspects of Kenaf, price of raw jute, diversification of jute products, application of jute geo-textiles and market promotion of jute products came up for discussion during the technical sessions of the conference.

The organisers expected that the conference would help raise the profile of natural fibres, increase awareness and strengthen demand for jute and Kenaf products around the world. Seven countries including host Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, India, China, Malaysia and Pakistan are participating in the conference.

An exhibition of jute products is also being held in front of the conference venue, where 20 organisations including six Indian companies are displaying their products.

On December 20 last, the UN General Assembly declared 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibres (IYNF) with a view to developing efficiency and sustainability of agricultural industries that employ millions of people, contribute to food security and provide economic development opportunities.