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Hasina opts for environment-friendly Jute in world market |
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October 8, 2000
Dhaka (UNB) - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the member states of the International Jute Organization (IJO) to continue their support to this Dhaka-based organization to promote jute and jute goods and help compete with synthetics in the international market. “My fervent appeal to all member states to see that since the organization has grown into a matured institute over the period of 16 years and is ready to deliver goods, it should receive continued support,” she said opening the exhibition of diversified jute products at Hotel Sheraton. The Prime Minister said that IJO has been facing a serious crisis for its existence at a time when it was ready to take off in a big way to the benefit of large number of jute growers and the jute producing countries. She said a number of ambitious projects of the IJO are awaiting implementation. It has already been identified from which sector the finances will come and who will implement the projects. But because of the present uncertain situation of IJO, the projects could not be started. Hasina hoped that the member countries of IJO, which will be holding a series of meetings of the Working group to be followed by a Special Council meeting between October 9-12, would take some firm decisions regarding the organization. Describing jute as environment-friendly natural fibre, she said when the whole world is responding to environmental issues, jute as one of the most attractive in terms of its quantum of availability, quality and price should get its due share. She said it would be a great compliment to make the jute survive, as it has all the potential to be converted into a number of eco-friendly products that the whole world is looking for. Hasina hoped that when the IJO member states would be meeting they would take up these issues seriously and ensure that the organization can survive and fulfil its objectives. The exhibition has been sponsored by the Jute Ministry and the Export Promotion Bureau in association with IJO and European Commission in Bangladesh. The inaugural session was also addressed by Finance Minister Shah AMS Kibria, Commerce Minister Abdul Jalil, State Minister for Jute AK Fayezul Huq, Charge d’ Affaires of EC Delegation JV Ketelson, Senior Project Manager of Common Fund for Commodities G Gebre Medhin and IJO officer-in-charge Dr R Mandal. The Prime Minister said the export market of Bangladesh jute had shrunk with the advent of synthetic products as alternative of jute goods as well as due to callousness of the post-75 governments. However, she said since jute is still the second largest foreign exchange earner for Bangladesh and millions of marginal farmers and industrial workers depend on it for their livelihood, it is extremely difficult for Bangladesh to wipe it away from the economic scenario of the country. Hasina told the function that her government, realizing the importance of jute, has undertaken various projects for diversified use of jute and expansion of its export market. “We are sincerely trying to enhance the export of jute and jute products and for its diversified use so that the growers can get fair price for their produce,” she said. Referring to multi-purpose uses of jute, she said a number of high technology based products have been developed and are ready for commercial exploitation. Wood substitutes produced with jute can not only consume large volume of jute, but can also preserve forests to maintain the ecological balance. Jute could also be blended with plastic for moulded products to improve physical properties at reduced cost, she added. She mentioned that jute can also be moulded with plastic to produce components for automobiles and such a project is being set up at the joint initiatives of a German-Australian partnership company and a Bangladeshi entrepreneur. The Prime Minister assured that the government would extend all cooperation to the non-governmental organizations producing large variety of handicraft items with jute. She reiterated that a jute industrial park will be built at Adamjee Jute Mills and unused areas would be carved into industrial plots for new industrial units. |