Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses a seminar at Bangabandhu International
Conference Centre in the capital on Tuesday.
Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday assured the scientists engaged in
jute research of giving all necessary support from her government and
hoped that they would be able to invent drought, saline and cold
tolerant variety for sustainable harvesting of the cash crop round the
year. "As our scientists have showed their talent in unveiling the genome sequence of jute, I firmly believe that they will be able to invent high yielding jute variety able to cultivate round the year and mitigate diseases and pests," she said.
The prime minister was inaugurating a two-day international seminar on 'High Yielding Jute and Jute Seeds Production and Modern Jute Retting Procedure' at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital.
Hasina said her government is encouraging diversified use of jute and establishment of modern jute industries aimed at making the jute and jute products as the highest foreign exchange earning sector of the country.
Referring to huge expansion of the use of the environment friendly natural fiber in day-to-day life of global people, she said it's very much encouraging for us.
Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury and Jute and Textiles Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui attended the function as special guests while senior secretary of the Ministry of Jute and Textile M Ashraful Moqbul was in the chair.
Director General of Bangladesh Jute Research Institute Dr M Kamal Uddin gave a presentation on technical session of the seminar and Director General of Department of Jute M Nasir Uddin, project director of the "High Yielding Jute and Jute Seeds Production and Modern Jute Retting Procedure" Dr Mangal C Chanda, spoke among others, on the occasion.
The prime minister said country's state owned jute mills for the first time after 1982 could gain profit and after 30 years the mills accrued net profit of Taka 20 crore in the 2010-11 fiscal year.
"Average daily production of state-owned jute mills was 357 tonnes at the time of present government taking office and at present the capacity rose to 700 tonnes," she added.
Hasina said Bangladesh is blessed with fertile soil and weather to produce good quality of jute historically making the fibre as our national heritage.
"To make the heritage sustainable and development of the cash crop, the present government has undertaken the Tk 169-crore project," she said adding farmers are being distributed fertiliser, pesticide and other agricultural components free of cost in addition to high yielding jute seeds under the project.
She said around 20,000 selected jute farmers were given training under the five-year project on the modern techniques of producing high yielding jute and jute seeds and high technology of jute retting particularly ribbon retting procedure.
Pointing out the attachment of Awami League with the development of country's jute sector, the prime minister said, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman established separate ministry for jute and nationalised the jute mills for overall survival of the jute sector after independence.
In 1974, Bangabandhu also established Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI) under which many programmes had been taken for development of jute, recognized as our 'golden fiber', she said.
But, after killing of Bangabandhu in 1975, all those development programmes of jute sector became stalled, and in due course, the BNP-Jamaat alliance government closed down a number of leading jute mills including the Adamjee Jute Mills, the biggest mills in Asia, in 2002.
"They (BNP-Jammat) closed down eight jute mills one after another forcing many jute farmers to burn down their produces as they failed to sell those and recover the production costs," she said.
Hasina said BNP-Jamaat government killed 18 workers and 17 farmers for their movement to press home their various demands. The sufferings and frustration of the farmers crossed all limits," she added.
Highlighting the present government's initiative for revitalisation of the jute sector, the prime minister said, "the sector is now on the revival track".
Khalishpur Jute Mills, Peoples Jute Mills in Khulna already resumed operation while Quomi Jute Mills in Sirajganj has been refurbished as National Jute Mills, she mentioned.
Operations in three more jute mills went for experimental production and these mills will be inaugurated officially very soon, she said.
The prime minister said, "jute is a valuable natural resource of Bangladesh and we have to ensure its best and diversified use."
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