Bangladesh exports jute, jute goods to $1.2b

Bangladesh exported jute and jute goods to $1.2 billion in the last fiscal year while the jute sector contributes 1.4 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

“Jute contributes 1.4 per cent to GDP and 26 per cent to agriculture, which means jute contributes about $8 billion to total GDP,” Director General of Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI) Dr Md Abdul Awal told a workshop in Dhaka on Thursday, an official release said.

Awal called upon relevant organizations to take necessary and effective steps to boost jute and jute goods production.

He said, “Alongside commercial side, jute is an eco-friendly crop as jute absorbs 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releases 11 tonnes of oxygen during 100 days of the crop.”

Family nutrition can be met by growing jute in the homestead yard, Awal added.