Entrepreneurs and experts on Friday said jute sticks now appeared as a major commercial substance to earn at least Taka 2,500 crore for the country while the jute fibre gradually regains its lost glory amid intensified green campaign. “Nearly 30 lakh tonnes of jute sticks are produced every year which can be easily converted into commercially important charcoal,” Manirul Islam Nipu, who owns two charcoal factories, told BSS in an interview. He added that if the industrial use of even 50 per cent of the jute sticks could be ensured it could produce 2.50 lakh tonnes of charcoal worth Taka 2,500 crore annually, reports BSS. Jute and Textiles ministry officials said the government of late laid emphasis on commercialisation of jute sticks since the country began export of charcoal, which in academic term is called “activated carbon”, in 2012 while as of now 12 charcoal factories were installed in the past several years. They said China currently was the lone destination of Bangladeshi charcoals while “we are also exploring its market in countries like Turkey, Japan, Brazil and the United States”. “These (12) factories currently earn Taka 10 to 15 crore per month exporting around 800 tonnes of activated carbon (charcoal) abroad . . . commercial awareness among jute farmers and entrepreneurs alongside the government’s policy supports could multiply the amount rapidly,” Nipu said. Jute sticks are traditionally used mainly as cooking fuel and fencing in rural areas with its market price being as high as Taka 60 per maunds or nearly 40 kilograms while the charcoal industry were ready to pay Taka 400 for the volume. “This (charcoal) is absolutely a green industry . . . unlike other factories we do not release the carbon in the air and rather use it to produce an important industrial input,” Nipu said. Charcoal is widely used for purifying water, producing life saving ultra carbon or anti-toxin tablets, cosmetics, ink cartridge used mainly in photocopier machines and tooth cleaners.
