Gazette notification on Jute Packaging Act published
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Monira Munni
The government finally published a gazette notification on mandatory Jute Packaging Act nearly two years after the law was passed in Parliament.
The gazette notification paves the way for enforcing the use of jute bags in packaging foodstuffs and agricultural products, officials said.
Ministry of Textile and Jute published the gazette on September 24 making the Act effective from September 20. The Act was passed in 2010 aiming to increase the use of jute bags in packaging foodstuffs.
Jute goods manufacturers and exporters frequently demanded the proper implementation of the Act to raise local consumption and boost the sector's growth.
They said if the Packaging Act is fully implemented, the consumption of jute-made products especially jute bags will increase up to 50 to 60 per cent in the country.
"The law aims to increase the use of eco-friendly jute bags and the gazette will ensure its implementation," Jute Secretary Md Ashraful Moqbul told the FE Sunday.
Though the gazette is yet to mention the products' name, jute policy is in the process of finalisation which will declare the name of products that will come under the purview of the Act, he added.
Initially products such as rice, paddy and sugar will be brought within the purview of the law, he said adding fertiliser will also be taken into consideration after discussion with the concerned authorities.
More commodities will be added to the list later, on the basis of recommendations from a committee led by the ministry and other stakeholders.
Jute manufacturers and exporters said local consumption of jute is only 10-15 per cent while the rest 85-90 per cent is exported to foreign destinations.
"The implementation of the Act will definitely raise the local consumption of jute," Bangladesh Jute Mills Association (BJMA) chairman Nazmul Haq said stressing on the proper implementation of it.
It will also help the local jute goods manufacturers to dominate the foreign buyers who now offer lower prices for the locally manufactured products, he added.
"We will be able to charge higher price when our local consumption will go up, which we can't do now," he said adding that due to less demand in the local market, the manufacturers are forced to sell their products to the foreign buyers at a lower rate.
Earlier, Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) in a meeting of consultative committee on jute said rice, flour and lentil millers who are the clients of different commercial banks use bags for packaging 80 per cent of their goods.
About 200 million bags are needed for packaging of 20 million tonnes of food grains which will require at least 0.6 million bales of jute.
The food department uses jute bags only for 1.3-1.4 million tonnes of food grains, it added.
The country produced 7.5 million bales of raw jute in 2011-12 fiscal. BJMA, BJMC and Bangladesh Jute Spinners Association used about 4.0 million bales of raw jute in producing jute goods while 2.2 million bales were exported and 0.3 million bales were used in house hold.
The government finally published a gazette notification on mandatory Jute Packaging Act nearly two years after the law was passed in Parliament.
The gazette notification paves the way for enforcing the use of jute bags in packaging foodstuffs and agricultural products, officials said.
Ministry of Textile and Jute published the gazette on September 24 making the Act effective from September 20. The Act was passed in 2010 aiming to increase the use of jute bags in packaging foodstuffs.
Jute goods manufacturers and exporters frequently demanded the proper implementation of the Act to raise local consumption and boost the sector's growth.
They said if the Packaging Act is fully implemented, the consumption of jute-made products especially jute bags will increase up to 50 to 60 per cent in the country.
"The law aims to increase the use of eco-friendly jute bags and the gazette will ensure its implementation," Jute Secretary Md Ashraful Moqbul told the FE Sunday.
Though the gazette is yet to mention the products' name, jute policy is in the process of finalisation which will declare the name of products that will come under the purview of the Act, he added.
Initially products such as rice, paddy and sugar will be brought within the purview of the law, he said adding fertiliser will also be taken into consideration after discussion with the concerned authorities.
More commodities will be added to the list later, on the basis of recommendations from a committee led by the ministry and other stakeholders.
Jute manufacturers and exporters said local consumption of jute is only 10-15 per cent while the rest 85-90 per cent is exported to foreign destinations.
"The implementation of the Act will definitely raise the local consumption of jute," Bangladesh Jute Mills Association (BJMA) chairman Nazmul Haq said stressing on the proper implementation of it.
It will also help the local jute goods manufacturers to dominate the foreign buyers who now offer lower prices for the locally manufactured products, he added.
"We will be able to charge higher price when our local consumption will go up, which we can't do now," he said adding that due to less demand in the local market, the manufacturers are forced to sell their products to the foreign buyers at a lower rate.
Earlier, Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) in a meeting of consultative committee on jute said rice, flour and lentil millers who are the clients of different commercial banks use bags for packaging 80 per cent of their goods.
About 200 million bags are needed for packaging of 20 million tonnes of food grains which will require at least 0.6 million bales of jute.
The food department uses jute bags only for 1.3-1.4 million tonnes of food grains, it added.
The country produced 7.5 million bales of raw jute in 2011-12 fiscal. BJMA, BJMC and Bangladesh Jute Spinners Association used about 4.0 million bales of raw jute in producing jute goods while 2.2 million bales were exported and 0.3 million bales were used in house hold.