Salim Moshiur, Cumilla (South)

There is no interest in cultivating and using wrapping jute, which was once known as golden fiber, among the people of the southern part of Cumilla for various reasons.

The concerned departments are also playing the role of silent spectators in this regard. This year, 11 individuals and institutions have been awarded on Jute Day for their contribution to the development of the golden fiber jute industry and the development of this sector, and many have received congratulatory mementos. There is no alternative to research activities in the development of the jute sector, reducing dependence on imported jute seeds, achieving self-reliance in jute seed production with domestic technology, and increasing the production of conventional and versatile jute products.

Several local sources said that despite the demand and high price of raw jute in the district, it is natural that jute farmers will lose interest in cultivation if they do not get it. There are various risks and complications in selling jute. At one time, jute cultivation, jute goods manufacturing, jute and jute products trading played an important role in the livelihood of a class of people in this region for a long time. But in the era of current technology, this jute farming has been largely lost.

However, from the time before the Language Movement of 1952 to 1977, jute farming and raw jute trading were the only means of income for people of all classes of professions in this region. One could see fields full of jute fields and jute fields.

The sources also said that after independence, there was a lot of competition in the jute sector in the international market.

There was sufficient demand for processing raw jute by jute exporting organizations and jute mills run by BJMC and BGMA, including private-level jute and textile-yarn mills. But due to various reasons, those jute mills are closing down one by one, and the demand for jute and its exports to the international market are decreasing, which is causing a collapse in jute cultivation in this region.

In addition, farmers are losing interest in jute sowing. Due to the ongoing pandemic of the Corona virus, the issue of environment has been discussed again across the country, and the demand for jute products has started to increase again, so farmers are getting more enthusiastic about jute cultivation in the coming monsoon season. If this jute industry is fully operational, it will make the country's economy stronger. The sources further said that the rural culture and tradition of the Bengali nation are intertwined with jute in the golden fiber sector, and local economists believe that the role of jute as a tool for economic liberation is a recognized history. The jute sector is playing a leading role in the country's industrial sector, employment and export trade.

Although crores of people of the country have enacted the Compulsory Use of Textiles and Jute Products Act 2010 to accelerate the progress and modernization of the jute industry, it has not yet seen the light of day locally. The government is working in various ways to increase the production and packaging of jute products and increase the production of jute products and packaging through the gratuity, PF, leave cashing of all workers working in 25 jute mills, including the golden handshake facility. At present, the contribution of jute in all fields has become negligible. Especially in the country's export trade, the demand for jute has come down from 90 to 03 percent.

Multiple sources of local environmentalists and farmers said that like rice farmers, most jute farmers are small and marginal. Just as small and marginal rice farmers in this region are forced to sell it at a low price at the beginning of the Aman paddy harvesting season to repay loans and meet family needs, in the same way, jute farmers also sell jute at the beginning of the season to meet family needs. The famous commercial city of the region, Laksam Daulatganj Bazar, and the large markets in the southern part of the district, including the jute shops and jute traders, were a sight to behold. But those images are no longer there.

On the other hand, the government has banned the use of polythene and plastic bags and made the use of jute packaging mandatory for several products, but the business community is not complying. In this regard, the local administration or the mobile courts of the concerned departments are mysteriously silent spectators.

In this regard, despite repeated attempts to reach several officials of the district and upazila administrations and the concerned departments on their mobile phones, it was not possible to get any statement from them.