At a view-sharing meeting held here today, officials and experts urged the adoption of the newest technologies in jute cultivation to maximise productivity and expand the usage of jute goods in place of polythene.
They were speaking in the Deputy Commissioner’s conference room in the city, which was hosted by the Directorate of Jute under the Ministry of Jute and Textiles in coordination with the district government.
Officials, jute farmers, jute dealers, jute-related businesspeople, jute mill owners, representatives of auto rice mill owners, and journalists attended the program, which was presided over by Additional Deputy Commissioner Md Abdul Mannan.
Among those who spoke at the meeting were Md. Reaz Uddin, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), and Md. Mehebub Hasan, Scientific Officer of the Rangpur Regional Jute Research Institute.
In order to maximise production with improved quality fibre and a higher market price, the speakers emphasised the use of ribbon retting technology for the rotting and separation of jute fibre during droughts or water shortages.
According to them, the increased and varied applications of jute goods have been driving up demand for them more quickly in the wake of synthetic fiber’s negative environmental impacts, giving rise to fresh optimism for the “golden fiber’s” comeback.
The Additional Deputy Commissioner said jute is a cash crop, but it’s losing its golden tradition due to various reasons. Regarding jute cultivation, he said jute farmers are losing interest in its cultivation day by day due to lack of adequate water reservoirs for jute decomposition. “The government is distributing free jute seeds, fertilizers and fungicides to motivate farmers in jute cultivation,” he said and called all concerned to inspire farmers to enhance cultivation and production of jute. Mass awareness should be created to expand use of the eco-friendly jute products to avoid synthetic polyethylene to free nature from pollution, he added.
