United News of Bangladesh

Textiles and Jute Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir on Thursday said the government has decided to reopen six of the closed state-owned jute mills under private management within the next six months. He made the announcement at a press conference held at the ministry following an urgent meeting with stakeholders on reopening and leasing out closed mills under the Ministry of Textiles and Jute. The minister said the remaining closed jute mills will also be gradually reopened or leased out in phases. State Minister for Textiles and Jute Md Shariful Alam, Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, popularly known as Ashik Chowdhury, the ministry’s secretary, and senior officials of Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation (BTMC) and other agencies concerned were present at the meeting. Muktadir said the initiative is expected to boost investment, increase exports and generate employment in the sector.

The Ministry of Textiles and Jute is setting up ‘Sheikh Hasina Tant palli’ in Shibchar Upazila of Madaripur district at the Jajira end of the Padma Bridge to create opportunities for self-employment in the south-western region. Textile and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi said this while visiting the project on 120 acres of land in the upazila on Thursday. Under this project, weavers will be provided with all kinds of facilities including residential buildings, handloom shed, dormitories, rest house, cyber cafes and power substations. Also read: Production in BJMC’s 2 leased out jute mills begins There are plans to set up a ‘Tant Haat’ two days a week at Tantpalli where all kinds of raw materials including yarn will be sold and displayed. “Everything from weaving cloth to making and selling garments will be arranged here,” said the minister. Also read: Multiple Earning Streams: Finding Additional Online Income Source Beside a Job The minister also hoped that this project will revive the tradition of handloom industry. He also visited the construction work of ‘Sheikh Hasina Textile Engineering College’ under Textiles Department in the upazila.

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’.

The government is determined to revive jute sector by modernising state-owned mills, said Mohammad Abul Kalam, NDC, additional secretary of Ministry of Textiles and Jute.

Khurshid Alam, joint secretary to the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, died from coronavirus at a hospital in the capital early Saturday.