DDF jute goods gaining popularity abroad

---

Talha Bin Habib The government has taken up measures to gear up the activities of development of decorative fabric (DDF) project to boost export of diversified jute goods considering their growing demand in the international market, officials said. Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) started DDF project at Rangunia in Chittagong in 1990 on trial basis to popularise DDF jute goods in the local and international markets. The project had started producing jute goods particularly jute-tape and tree-wrap commercially in January last year considering the wide range of demand of jute products in the international markets. "Jute tape and tree wrap are two major items which are mainly exported to the Republic of Korea (ROK) and countries of North America (NA)," a BJMC director Md Abu Syed told the FE Friday. He said there is a wide range of demand for diversified jute products globally considering their environment friendly nature. BJMC allocated financial assistance for the project to help increase DDF jute goods and popularise those in the local as well as international markets. "BJMC has set a budget worth Tk 10.348 million to renovate and modernise the machineries for DDF project so that it can produce more DDF jute products and export those in the 2011-12 FY," a high official of the organisation told the FE. He said the country has earned Tk 9.50 million so far through export of DDF jute goods mainly to the Republic of Korea (ROK) and countries of North America (NA). He said the BJMC officials send samples of DDF jute products to overseas market destinations regularly to attract more foreign buyers for increasing the present export volume. "We hope that export will increase significantly during the 2011-12 FY due to growing demand for diversified jute products in the international market," he mentioned. At present the country has a total of 203 jute mills and twin mills under public and private supervision. Out of the number, 24 are under the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC), 102 under Bangladesh Jute Mills Association (BJMA) and 77 under Bangladesh Jute Spinners Association (BJSA). "Bangladesh exported raw jute and jute goods worth US $ 1.1 billion in 2010-11 FY, and the figure of export during the 2011-12 FY is projected to be about $ 1.39 billion," according to BJMC.