Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in a meeting held on Monday (April 8, 2024) with the visiting Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and his delegation, underscored the significant potential for enhancing bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Brazil.  “There is immense scope to increase bilateral trade between the two countries,” she was quoted as saying. The meeting took place at the Prime Minister's office, where Sheikh Hasina highlighted the opportunity for Brazil to augment its import of readymade garment (RMG) products directly from Bangladesh, thus eliminating the need for intermediaries and making the process more cost-effective. The briefing to reporters post-discussion was provided by PM's speechwriter M Nazrul Islam.  He revealed that the Prime Minister expressed a desire to deepen the current bilateral relationship between the two nations. Noting the current trade imbalance heavily skewed in favour of Brazil — with Bangladesh importing substantial amounts of sugar, soybean oil, and cotton from Brazil and exporting only a minimal amount of RMG products in return — she pointed out the considerable scope for Brazil to diversify its imports to include not only more RMG products but also jute, jute goods, leather, and leather goods from Bangladesh. Reflecting on the historical connections, Prime Minister Hasina remarked on Brazil's significant role as the first country in South America to recognise Bangladesh's independence in 1971, shortly after the Liberation War.  Multilateral Forums: PM likely to visit Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Gambia from April 24 to May 6 She emphasised the shared perspectives and stances of Bangladesh and Brazil in various international forums. The conversation also veered towards sports, with the Prime Minister expressing an interest in Brazilian football and seeking cooperation to elevate the standards of football in Bangladesh. In a gesture of diplomatic goodwill, the visiting Brazilian Foreign Minister extended an invitation from Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Prime Minister Hasina to attend the final meeting of the G20 Task Force for the creation of Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty in Rio de Janerio on 24th July. The prime minister accepted the invitation. The G20 is made up of 19 countries and the EU. The 19 countries are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, and the US. Brazil holds the Presidency in 2024. The discussions further ventured into global political arena, with Vieira commending Bangladesh for its stance against the ongoing conflict in Gaza and aligning with Bangladesh's condemnation of the Israeli aggression as genocide.  “They (Israel) have violated all kinds of international norms, they bombed hospitals, continue killing in the shelter camps… this is not a war, this is genocide,” the PM was quoted as saying. She mentioned that Israeli forces are not even sparing children, women and the elderly. Praising the socio-economic progress of Bangladesh under Prime Minister Hasina's leadership, Vieira expressed Brazil's interest in learning from Bangladesh's development experience, noting the similarities between the two populous nations in their battles against poverty and hunger. Govt steps cut down child and mortality rate in Bangladesh: PM Hasina The visit, marked by Vieira's presentation of a Brazil National Football Team jersey to Prime Minister Hasina, bearing her name, underscored the amicable discussions and the mutual desire to explore avenues for cooperation and shared growth.  Leading a delegation of high officials and a robust trade team, this is the Brazilian Foreign Minister’s first visit to Bangladesh, opening new chapters in the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Brazil.

The jute mills under the Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation (BTMC) have incurred a loss of Tk 3,168.46 crore in the fiscal year 2020-21. Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi said this parliament responding to a question from Jatiya Party MP Moshiur Rahman Ranga on Thursday. Read: Diversified jute products fair witnesses huge footfall on closing day The jute mills earned Tk 484.48 crore and spent Tk 3652.94 crore 94 crore during the period, he said. Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury presided over the question and answer session. The Minister said out of 25 jute mills under BTMC, 24 have been shut and one has been rented out. Textile villages are being set up in two of the closed 24 mills. Replying to a query from Dhaka -18 constituency MP Mohammad Habib Hasan of the ruling party, Golam Dastagir Gazi said that at present (Census 2018) there are 589 weaving factories and 1,16,117 units in the country. The weaving industry produces about 47.47crore meters of weaving cloth annually, which meets 28 percent of the country's textile demand (excluding power looms), he said. Read: 'Golden fibre' no longer holds glitter for Khulna jute farmers Replying to a question from Natore-2 MP Shafiqul Islam Shimul, the Minister said that at present the number of looms in the country is 290,282. In reply to a query from MP Begum Lutfunnesa Khan, the Minister said 5.6 lakh tonnes of raw jute have been exported in the 8 months of the current fiscal year.  Besides, 5.86 lakh tonnes raw jute and 7.82 lakh tonnes of jute products have been exported in the fiscal year 2020-21, he added.

Environment-friendly Sonali Bag, made of jute, has not been commercially viable even after five years of its pilot production due to fund shortage and continuing promotion of harmful polythene bags. Project insiders and innovators of the product are frustrated after failing to attain commercial viability even as an environmentally friendly alternative to polythene. The project is waiting to die now due to lack of allocation to run the factory, project insiders said. A pilot project was taken up in 2018 to market bags made from jute. However, the bag could not be brought to the market commercially in his fifth year. Inventor Mubarak Ahmed says another Tk 350-400 crore would be needed to market the golden bag. Read: Hasina seeks Russian investment in jute sector  Only limited production of bags has been possible The officials of Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation could not say when the project of commercial production of golden bag, an alternative of polybag will be implemented. In the absence of reliable alternatives, the market has floated banned polythene. The use of polythene is increasing in vegetable markets, grocery stores, shopping malls, and chain shops. Occasional raids have been carried out to control these environmentally harmful products, but the use of polythene has not reduced due to lack of alternatives. Polythene was banned in Bangladesh in 2002. Environmentalists say the failure to enforce the law is not the reason for the release of polythene. Not only Bangladesh, but the whole world is also worried about polythene. Millions of tons of polybags are being used every day, polluting the environment. Read: Saudi willing to invest in closed jute mills Mubarak Ahmed Khan, Scientific Adviser of Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC), was the inventor of eco-friendly bags from jute named Sonali Bag in 2016. It is a cellulose-based biodegradable bioplastic, an alternative to plastic bags. This bag is made by collecting cellulose from jute. It looks like ordinary polythene, but it is perishable. Before coming to the market commercially, ‘Sonali Bag’ had received a positive response at home and abroad. A pilot project was taken up in 2016 to market the bag. However, the bag could not be brought to the market commercially in six years. Read Production in BJMC’s 2 leased out jute mills begins State owned Latif Bawani Jute Mill on the west bank of Shitalakshya River in Demra, Dhaka houses a factory for making Sonali Bags. On April 7, 2019, Tk 10 crore was allocated from Bangladesh Climate Trust Fund for the production of this bag. Necessary equipment and chemicals were purchased with that money. The bag is sold from the BJMC office at Motijheel only. In this context Bangladesh observed Jute Day-2022 on Sunday (March 6) with the theme of ‘Golden country of golden fire, environment friendly Bangladesh’. Read BTMC’s jute mills incurred loss of Tk 3,168 cr in FY 21: Jute Minister

Considering the demand in domestic and international markets and the global expansion of jute industry, the government has declared 282 types of attractive jute goods as ‘versatile jute products’.

Bangladesh earned US$ 791.3 million from the export of jute and jute products in the first ten months (July-April) of the current fiscal year 2019-20, which is 14 percent higher than the earnings during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

Jute products are attracting huge visitors at the ongoing Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) due to their diverse, innovative and environment-friendly nature.