Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday declared that jute and its products will be considered as agro-based ones so that this foreign exchange-earning sector could get all the facilities like the country’s other agro-based ones.

"Jute is a agro-based product, but other products which have little relation with agriculture are getting special facilities as the agro-based products, but jute is not getting that facilities…this is very much regretful, let me declare one thing, we’ll consider jute production as agro-based one," she said.

The Prime Minister was speaking at a programme organised by Textiles and Jute Ministry at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) to award individuals and organisations who played a pivotal role in implementing the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act 2010.

Textiles and Jute Minister Md. Emaj Uddin Pramanik presided over the programme.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, State Minister for Textiles and Jute Mirza Azam and Parliamentary Standing Committee on Jute Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury also spoke at the programme.

Sheikh Hasina made the declaration after repeated requests from previous speakers of the function to declare jute as the agro-based product.

Currently, the agro-based products are getting 20 percent cash incentives on their exports.

Earlier, she distributed crests to 41 individuals, who played a vital part in making sure that the jute act was enforced consistently in 13 categories.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated a three-day jute fair at the same venue. Over 135 products from the Jute Diversification Promotion Centre (JDPC) put on display at the fair. Bangladesh currently ranks 1st in the world in jute export, and 2nd in jute production.

UNB/NS