Export of jute goods from Bangladesh to India slumped by 52.15 per cent in January in the current financial year 2016-17 compared to the same month of last year due to the anti-dumping duty imposed by the neighbouring country on January 5.Total earnings from jute goods exports stood at only $7.65 million in January against $15.99 million in the same month of FY16, according to Export Promotion Bureau data.Exporters said that the earnings from jute goods export to India had been on a declining trend in July-December of the FY17 but the situation aggravated in January following imposition of anti-dumping duty by India. Exports of jute goods (jute Yarn, twine, sacks, bags and febrics) to India in the July-December period of the FY 17 decreased by 23.81 per cent to $62.60 million from $82.16 million in the same period of FY 16 and the export witnessed further decline in January this year.India imposed anti-dumping duty ranging from $ 6.30 to $ 351.72 a tonne on jute goods from Bangladesh on January 5.‘Due to the anti-dumping issue the exports of several jute mills decreased by 50-70 per cent in the month of January,’ Abul Hossain, vice-president of Bangladesh Jute Spinners Association, told New Age.He said that if the situation continues a good number of jute mills will be shut down.Abul Hossain said that exporters were awaiting prime minister’s instruction on the issue and they also hoped that the issue would be discussed during prime minister’s visit to India.He said that exporters wanted to challenge the anti-dumping duty but they were still in an indecision considering the high cost and long time for the procedure. Abdul Bari Khan, Secretary of Bangladesh Jute Mills Association, said that some of the Indian importers were getting delivery of few consignments of jute goods with the payment of duty but the quantity was very small.He said that the jute mills owners requested government to impose duty on raw jute export as Bangladesh’s raw jute export is mostly concentrated to India.They also demanded for making mandatory the packaging of poultry and fish feed with jute bags that can increase the use of jute bags by 25 per cent, Bari said. Earnings from India by exporting jute goods in the July-January period of FY 17 fell by 28.43 per cent to $70.24 million from $98.15 million in the same period of FY 16, according to Export Promotion Bureau data.
