Seven organisations honoured for diversified use of jute

More thrust on diversification of jute products may ensure a significant pie of the global market for Bangladesh, a programme was told yesterday.
“The worldwide demand for diversified jute goods is around 6 lakh tonnes. If we can make 2 lakh tonnes of diversified products to cater to the needs, jute prices will mark a rise,” said Kazi Rezaul Hasan, executive director of Jute Diversification Promotion Centre (JDPC) of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute.
“It will also make it sure that growers get fair prices of their produces,” he added.
The JDPC boss made the remark at an award-giving programme to diversified jute goods makers for the year 2007-08. The JDPC organised the event at the office of International Jute Study Group (IJSG) in Dhaka.
Textiles and Jute Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui handed over the awards to seven organisations.
These organisations succeeded in diversification of jute usage through making different products such as lady sandals, tapestry, mat box, lady coats, lady bag, shopping bag and tissue box.
“Natural fibre triumphs over the artificial fibre. Now jute is used for various purposes, even in vehicles,” said Latif Siddiqui.
The winners are: Sohag Jute and Handicrafts (lady sandals), Tapestry and Painting Studio (tapestry), Taragna (mat box), Haimakanti Fashion Kutir (lady coats), Shuchishoily Handicrafts (lady bag), Shafisons (shopping bag) and Zarin Trade International (tissue box).
As many as 22 organisations submitted 159 jute-made products to the JDPC to take part in the competition.
The minister said winners should treat these awards as stimulus for continuing their efforts to make more diversified products from jute, once a golden fibre.
Discussants said Bangladesh has a track record of making some jute-based products such as sack for long time. They said time has come to diversify product bases to attract consumers, both in the local and global market, as demand for such products is on the rise.
Siddiqui expressed his dissatisfaction over the JDPC performance in promoting diversified use of jute.
He also came down heavily on the International Jute Study Group (IJSG) saying that the organisation activities are still unclear to him.
The IJSG, an intergovernmental body that was set up under the aegis of Unctad to function as the international commodity body (ICB) for jute, kenaf and other allied fibres.
Established on 27 April 2002 as the legal successor to the erstwhile International Jute Organisation (IJO), IJSG is to provide framework for international cooperation, consultation and policy development among members, i.e., the jute producing, importing and exporting countries.
Another objective of the IJSG is promotion and expansion of international trade in jute and jute products, introduction of new jute products and the development of new end-uses, according to its website.
“What's use of the research if it fails to do any good for the people,” the minister questioned. “I am yet to understand the functions of this organisation.”