Constant effort underway to restore glory of jute: PM

Desk Report: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said her government was making constant efforts to restore the lost glory of jute, reclaiming its repute of being the country's "golden fibre".

"We want to restore the lost glory of jute as we want to flourish our local products," she told the opening of the country's maiden National Jute Day celebrations in line with her last year's announcement.

She added works were underway for modernization and diversification of jute products to reclaim the lost glory of the fibre which "once jute was the only foreign exchange earning sector of Bangladesh".

The premier said the 1975 assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman halted for a long time the country's progress upsetting the status of jute as well but after returning to power, her government took stapes for establish the glory of jute again.

Textiles and Jute Ministry organized a Diversified Jute Goods Fair coinciding with the National Jute Day 2017 while Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu joined as the special guest the function at the Krishibid Institution auditorium in the capital.

State minister for textiles and jute Md Imaj Uddin Pramanik chaired the function while state minister Mirza Azam and chairman of parliamentary standing committee on Textiles and Jute Ministry Saber Hossain Chowdhury also spoke while the ministry's acting secretary Gopal Krishna Bhattachariya gave the welcome address.

The Prime Minister distributed crests and certificates among ten individuals have contribution to promote the jute sector alongside winners of a divisional level essay writing competition for students coinciding with the day.

The premier recalled that Bangabandhu as the minister of industries and commerce in 1956 had established the jute marketing corporation for promotion of jute export and research.

She said after independence, Bangabandhu nationalized the jute mills abandoned by the west Pakistani owners and rehabilitated them with "mothers care".
 

BSS

risingbd/Dhaka/Mar 9, 2017/Nasim