Textiles and jute minister Golam Dastagir Gazi has said the government is considering increasing subsidies to boost export of jute goods. The entrepreneurs will also get raw materials at affordable prices to produce quality jute goods, he added. “The government will facilitate entrepreneurs to get raw materials at affordable prices for producing quality jute goods for boosting export,” he said while speaking as the chief guest after inaugurating a jute products fair in the city on Thursday. Jute Diversification Promotion Centre (JDPC) has organised the three-day exposition at the Officers Club. A total of 100 organisations are showcasing their products at the fair. “We will take initiatives so that the entrepreneurs could get raw jute at an affordable rate for producing fine quality of jute goods,” he asserted. The minister said various initiatives have been taken to promote jute and jute goods, including providing incentives to the exporters. He also said the government is trying to compete with other jute goods exporting players in the globe especially India and China. He urged the JDPC to hold jute goods fair regularly at different places of the country for the interests of the local entrepreneurs. There are around 700 entrepreneurs in the country who are producing 285 different types of eye-catching and environmentally-friendly jute products or goods. The demand for jute goods across the world is increasing due to their bio-degradable nature. Jute sector entrepreneurs said that as the world is more concerned about climate change, new opportunities opened up for the Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to increase export of jute goods. The government has implemented the Jute Packaging Act 2010 from 2014, aiming to promote the country’s jute sector. Agricultural commodities such as sugar, rice, maize, wheat, paddy and fertilisers are supposed to be contained in jute packaging (jute sacks). Textiles and jute secretary Lokman Hossain Mian and officials of JDPC were present at the function.
