Bangladesh imposes indefinite ban on export of raw jute

By

Sheuli Akter

The Bangladeshi government has banned the export of all sorts of raw jute for an indefinite period from the country.

Bangladeshi State Minister for Textiles and Jute, Mirza Azam, told journalists on Thursday about the ban.

He said that the ban has been imposed to ensure adequate availability of the same for the local jute mills.

Earlier, the Bangladeshi government on Nov. 3 imposed a ban on raw jute export for one month which expired on Dec. 2.

“We’ve slapped a raw jute export ban to bolster supply of the same at local mills which are currently suffering from a supply shortage of the fibre,” Azam said.

Bangladesh has recently tightened measures so that businesses mandatorily use jute bags for packaging instead of plastic bags.

Bangladesh mainly exports raw jutes to India, Pakistan, China, Britain, Spain, Ivory Coast, Germany and Brazil and is one of the world’s largest jute growing countries.

The country reportedly produces around 6 million bales (1 bale equals about 180 kg) of jute each year.

Sheuli Akter

Sheuli Akter, from Bangladesh, is a Special Correspondent and Editor of NsNewsWire, (Bangladesh’s First Press Newswire). She also gained an honourable mention in the first ever World Media Summit WMS Awards for ‘Exemplary News Professionals in Developing Countries’, receiving the award in Beijing in January 2015.