Textiles and Jute Minister and Awami League Presidium Member Jahangir Kabir Nanak said the anti-plastic drive will be intensified to protect the environment after Ramadan.

But before that, a meeting will be held with the concerned ministries, including the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, to discourage the use of plastic bags, he said.

The minister said this while replying to questions from reporters after the session of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute at the Deputy Commissioner Conference-2024.

State Minister for Labour and Employment Md Nazrul Islam Chowdhury and Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute Abdur Rouf were present on the occasion.

Asked what he expected from the deputy commissioners, the minister said, "I expect the intervention of the field administration officials to strengthen the implementation of the 'Compulsory Use of Jute Goods Packaging Act, 2010'."

“I urge you to take effective steps to prevent farmers from being deprived of the fair price of jute due to the violence of middlemen,” Nanak told the deputy commissioners.

Asked what the deputy commissioners recommended to him, the minister said the government has taken initiatives to reopen the mills of Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) and Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation (BTMC) keeping the ownership under the control of the government. He also advised to maintain the supply of good quality jute seeds at the beginning of the jute season.