Staff Reporter :
The government is preparing a Tk100 crore fund under the Jute Diversification Promotion Centre (JDPC) to revive the use of jute bags and promote jute-based products as part of a broader cultural shift away from plastic, Textiles and Jute Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin said on Wednesday.
“We aim to bring about a cultural change through this initiative involving around 1,006 entrepreneurs under JDPC.
Just like before, we want to reintroduce jute bags into everyday life,” Bashir Uddin said at a seminar titled “The Role of Jute in Sustainable Development – Hafizuddin Ahmed and Fatema Ahmed Trust Lecture 2025” at the Bangladesh University of Textiles (Butex).
He noted that there is a vast international market for jute as a wrapping material, but more research is needed to expand the sector’s reach, productivity, and applications. Organised by the Department of Yarn Engineering, the event brought together experts, academics, and students.
Describing students as the “future captains,” the adviser encouraged them to focus on innovation and cost-efficient production methods to make jute products commercially competitive with plastic alternatives.
“For jute bags, we need a cultural transformation, not compulsion. Innovation, cost reduction, and improved capability are key to success,” he said, stressing the need for coordinated efforts in policy and action to boost productivity and create jobs.
In her keynote paper, Prof Dr Hosne Ara Begum of the Department of Yarn Engineering discussed the vital role of jute in achieving a sustainable, eco-friendly economy and urged exclusive use of jute bags at the upcoming trade fair.
Among others, former Dhaka University professor Rashida Akhtar Khanam, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute Director General Dr Nargis Akhtar, IEB Vice-President Engr Khan Manjur Morshed, and IETET Convener Engr Ahsanul Karim Kaiser attended the seminar.
