The National Jute Day-2019 will be observed tomorrow (Wednesday) for the third time throughout the country amid enthusiasm with a view to making jute goods popular among the people.
On the eve of the day, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages greeting the people of the jute sector.
In their messages, they hoped that jute will play a positive role in the economic development of the country as well as protection of the environment once the multiple usages of it are ensured.
President Hamid, in his message, said the government has taken various initiatives, including modernization of the state owned jute mills, to bring back the glorious past of the jute sector.
“The Mandatory Jute Packaging Act 2010 and the Mandatory Jute Packaging Rule 2013 have been implemented to increase the domestic demand of jute,” the president said, adding that the Jute Act-2017 has also been enacted in this regard.
The sector is now making glorious contribution again to the economy as jute is being used for producing about 250 kinds of goods, he added.
Hamid hoped that the use of environment-friendly jute products would accelerate flourishing of the industry.
Terming jute as the third largest foreign exchange earning sector of the country, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said that jute has been declared as an agricultural product in 2016.
The Mandatory Jute Packaging Act-2010 and the other rules regarding this are already playing a positive role for protecting the environment and the public interest, she said, adding, “Currently, Jute bags are being used for packaging of 19 products.”
The Premier said that the jute production in the country has increased by enacting Jute Act-2017.”As a result, the interest of all stakeholders of the jute sector has been ensured,” she added.
Instead of artificial polythene, Sheikh Hasina also mentioned that the initiative has been taken to create the environment-friendly ‘Golden Bag’ from jute which is also perishable to the environment.
“The present government has been working relentlessly to improve the living standards of the common people. Our goal is to establish Bangladesh as middle-income country by 2021 and the developed and prosperous one by 2041,” she said.
To ensure this prosperity, the prime minister hoped the Ministry of Textiles and Jute can contribute more in the country through environment-friendly jute and jute-goods, reports UNB.
