People's Jute Mills was established in 1952 and despite going through various setbacks at times it continued its operation during the last five and a half decades. The reasons behind closing down of the mills were cited as incurring continuous loss by the mills. The claim of incurring loss by the authorities might be true, but the onus cannot be diverted entirely on the general workers. Perhaps it is the management, which should be made responsible for the loss in the mills. But the government's wrath has fallen on the poor workers who used to survive selling their physical labours. The closure of the mills did not only stop the wheels of the factories but also halted the wheels of the families of thousands of workers. How rational it is for a government that cannot set up a single mill to close down an established mill set up nearly half a century back.

The workers were not probably ready for such stark reality. Earlier, they faced similar threats and dangers but finally they overcame those. But this time, all the things happened silently. A silent killer snatched their means of living as dignified human beings. The state of emergency even could not allow them to cry loudly to express their grief and sorrow.

I am far away from the closed mills. But I could see that the hearths of many workers were not ignited following closures of the mills. The children of the workers stopped going to their schools. The housewives perhaps pass the days shedding tears seeing no sign of hopes in front of them. But those sitting at the helms of the affairs were not stirred up at all. None of the managerial bosses lost their jobs. Even, the head of the jute ministry in tidy dress was seen putting forward lame excuses in favour of the closure of the mills in a TV talk show next day. It seemed that no grief has touched his heart at the death of four mills. A few days back, we also did not see any trace of remorse in the voice of the ministry's adviser while she proudly pronounced the death sentences of the mills.

Since mid-80s, the subsequent governments at the diktat of various international lending organisations like WB, IMF and ADB started showing step-motherly attitude towards the jute industries. Of around 50 jute mills set up during the Pakistani era and nationalised after independence, most have been closed down few. The closure of the jute mills not only affected thousands of workers, but also cast an adverse impact on millions of people of other professions. After the industrial workers, the most noticeable victims are the farmers and agriculture itself. Jute cultivation was not only a profitable venture, but it is also an eco-friendly, fertility-friendly, and productivity-friendly farming. The "golden fibre" of Bangladesh once not only earned foreign exchange but its cultivation enriched the soil by adding additional nutrients.

Each of our farmers is an agricultural scientist. Through field practices over the years, they themselves invent many technologies and methodologies that suited their land and environment. Generation after generation, our cultivators used to practice alternate cropping system i.e. crop rotation for controlling insect-pest naturally. A paddy crop field must be brought under jute farming next season. This alternate cropping thereby helps curb the menace of weed and insect-pest as these are mostly associated with particular crops. Moreover, jute farming enriches soil in multifarious ways. A jute stalk bears a lot of succulent leaves that shred on the land continuously during its maturing. The majority of the leaves tear up after cutting of the stalks. These huge leaves and roots of jute stalks after rotting enhance the fertility of soil.

Soil fertility of jute fields also heightens through many other ways. Of all the crops, jute fields witness highest quantity of earthworm activity. Earthworm produces huge vermi-compost, which possess high-quantity of nutrients for crop. Besides, the earthworm which also known as "natural plough" keep the soil loose through pulverisation. Other organisms like beneficial insects and microbes are also become more active in jute fields. And a farmer does not need to apply any fertiliser in the next crop to be cultivated in a jute field.

As a crop, especially compared to paddy, jute is far more environment-friendly. It does not require too much chemical fertiliser (nowadays, farmers apply small quantity of TSP during sowing and urea as top dressing). It also does not require artificial irrigation. As jute stalks produce large number green leaves, they absorb huge carbon dioxide from nature, minimising the greenhouse effect.

The entire jute industry is labour-intensive. If we consider farming alone, it involves a lot of labour from preparation of land to selling of jute fibre in the market. That is, jute cultivation produces a lot of economic activities in rural Bangladesh. The dividend is also high. Besides jute fibre, there are various uses of jute stalks. In rural areas, jute stalks are used in cooking as well as for fencing purposes.

The day is not far away when the remaining jute mills will be closed down. And with the closure of the mills, this beneficial crop will also disappear from the country. The farmers will lose a friendly crop, workers their jobs, and the country much-needed foreign exchange. The decision-makers who are now seeing jute industry as a burden will definitely observe its revival within a decade. That revival surely would not take place here, but elsewhere, and we would have nothing to do then except lament.

Nazrul Islam is a freelance contributor to The Daily Star.