Redeeming the lost glory of jute
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Shahiduzzaman Khan
BANGLADESH'S efforts to revive the ailing the jute industry got a significant boost after researchers developed a climate-tolerant jute variety by doing 'genome sequencing'. Such sequencing allows jute saplings to grow, defying even hostile weather and the menace of climate change and it is expected to significantly improve the quality of its fibre.
Such decoding opened up a new vista in the development of variety of the world's most adorned biodegradable natural fibre. With the successful sequencing of jute genome, Bangladesh becomes only the second country after Malaysia, among the developing nations, to achieve such a feat. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made this announcement, cancelling a scheduled question-answer session in parliament last week amid cheers by lawmakers. Bangladeshi scientist Maqsudul Alam, a professor of the University of Hawaii, who earlier decoded the genome of papaya in the US and rubber plant in Malaysia, led from the forefront in sequencing the jute genome.
Dubbing it a historic scientific advancement, Sheikh Hasina told the parliament this would redeem the lost glory of the "golden fibre" as gene mapping of jute would now help breeders develop jute varieties resistant to pests and climatic adversities. Genome sequencing would help redeem the lost glory of jute and jute products, immensely contribute to our economy and help transform jute fibre into the golden fibre and bring smiles to millions of jute farmers, she added.
Reports say local farmers could start reaping the benefits of the decoding within the next five years and make the country at the forefront of global revival of natural fibre. Jute genome sequencing initiative began in February, 2008 when Dr. Alam started exploring the possibilities with several Bangladeshi scientists and academics. Led by him, a consortium of researchers from Dhaka University, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI) and software firm DataSoft in collaboration with Centre for Chemical Biology, University of Science, Malaysia and University of Hawaii successfully decoded jute's genome.
Jute was once the country's top foreign currency earner, but the fall in demand in the world market forced Bangladesh to scale back cultivation and close down loss-incurring jute mills including the storied Adamjee Jute Mill, Asia's largest. Farmers increasingly switched over to rice production as it promised better output and prices, leaving the jute sector to bear the brunt of the economic transformation. Today, apparel industry is the biggest foreign exchange earner, employing 3.0 million workers, mostly female.
Genome sequence represents a valuable shortcut, helping scientists find genes much more easily and quickly. A genome sequence allows scientists identify and understand how genes work together for the plant's different features like growth, development and maintenance as an entire organism. This allows them to manipulate the genes and enhance, reduce or add certain features of the plant. As against three billion genetic letters in human genome, jute has reportedly one billion. And sequencing of jute genome will open up a new scope. Jute is the second largest fibre crop in terms of cultivation next to cotton. Bangladesh is the world's second-largest producer of jute, after India, and the world's largest exporter of the fibre.
In the context of Bangladesh, what is painful to witness is that a large number of jute products developed by local scientists have not made it to the market despite their huge commercial potential, mostly due to the lax government attitude towards promoting and marketing them. Efforts to encourage more use of traditional jute products like sacks in packaging food grains, cement and fertiliser and increase the use of jute-based geotextile are also non-existent. Such a situation is due to the fact that the government does not have any research wing to analyse market data and create local and international markets.
Most of the jute products that have been developed by the BJRI (Bangladesh Jute Research Institute) are not being commercially manufactured. The institute has developed, among other things, blanket, good quality curtain cloth, wool and slab yarn from jute or sometimes blending acrylic and cotton in the process. Using biotechnology, the scientists developed hard paper from the jute plant. The technology uses 30 percent less energy compared to the ones used in traditional paper mills.
Entrepreneurs have not shown much interest in investing money in manufacturing newly discovered jute products. Bangladesh Jute Mills Association (BJMA) blamed the BJRI for this, saying the jute research institute is reluctant to transfer technologies to private entrepreneurs. One reason for the disinterest may be that the entrepreneurs want supply of jute all through the year. But the supply of jute is scarce.
Of late, the government has taken a commendable decision to promote the jute industry. The cabinet has recently approved a proposal paving the way for the enactment of a law making use of jute compulsory in packaging certain commodities. The proposed law would help increase the demand for jute and would benefit the farmers. and stipulate that jute sacks should be used for packaging of grains such as rice, wheat and other commodities such as sugar, fertiliser and cement. The country produces 5.5 million bales (1.0 bale equals 180kg) of raw jute every year compared with 7.0 million bales produced a decade ago. Only the food and disaster management ministry uses jute sacks but the industries ministry uses synthetic sacks for fertiliser and sugar packaging.
Private industries such as cement and sugar and other commodity producers do not use jute sacks. About two million of the bales produced are consumed and the remaining jute is exported. There were about 80 jute mills in the country in the 1970s which employed about 2,50,000 people. Now less than 50,000 people work in the jute mills as a handful of factories are in operation. The proposed law would encourage farmers to grow more jute as its demand has registered a significant growth on the local and the international market.
Back to genome sequencing, scientists and bioinformatics specialists believe this will potentially place Bangladesh at the forefront of the global jute industry and could rejuvenate the multi-million dollar jute industry. The significant benefit in upcoming years will help Bangladesh to develop new quality breeds of jute both in terms of fibre quality and resistance to various diseases. For the first time, the country will be able to farm jute throughout the year and in a shorter period, which will help save the farmers huge amount of cost.
The government needs to firm up its position in reaching the fruits of new innovation to the doorsteps of each and every farmer. Formulation of policies and their implementation to this effect brooks no delay. The country needs to file patent application to win the rights. Otherwise, the discovery will go in vain. Dr. Alam has rightly said the innovation will help us know where we need to intervene to develop the crop. This will take the agriculture forward. The country must hold on to its promises of attaining the desired result of jute genome sequencing.
szkhan@dhaka.net
BANGLADESH'S efforts to revive the ailing the jute industry got a significant boost after researchers developed a climate-tolerant jute variety by doing 'genome sequencing'. Such sequencing allows jute saplings to grow, defying even hostile weather and the menace of climate change and it is expected to significantly improve the quality of its fibre.
Such decoding opened up a new vista in the development of variety of the world's most adorned biodegradable natural fibre. With the successful sequencing of jute genome, Bangladesh becomes only the second country after Malaysia, among the developing nations, to achieve such a feat. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made this announcement, cancelling a scheduled question-answer session in parliament last week amid cheers by lawmakers. Bangladeshi scientist Maqsudul Alam, a professor of the University of Hawaii, who earlier decoded the genome of papaya in the US and rubber plant in Malaysia, led from the forefront in sequencing the jute genome.
Dubbing it a historic scientific advancement, Sheikh Hasina told the parliament this would redeem the lost glory of the "golden fibre" as gene mapping of jute would now help breeders develop jute varieties resistant to pests and climatic adversities. Genome sequencing would help redeem the lost glory of jute and jute products, immensely contribute to our economy and help transform jute fibre into the golden fibre and bring smiles to millions of jute farmers, she added.
Reports say local farmers could start reaping the benefits of the decoding within the next five years and make the country at the forefront of global revival of natural fibre. Jute genome sequencing initiative began in February, 2008 when Dr. Alam started exploring the possibilities with several Bangladeshi scientists and academics. Led by him, a consortium of researchers from Dhaka University, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI) and software firm DataSoft in collaboration with Centre for Chemical Biology, University of Science, Malaysia and University of Hawaii successfully decoded jute's genome.
Jute was once the country's top foreign currency earner, but the fall in demand in the world market forced Bangladesh to scale back cultivation and close down loss-incurring jute mills including the storied Adamjee Jute Mill, Asia's largest. Farmers increasingly switched over to rice production as it promised better output and prices, leaving the jute sector to bear the brunt of the economic transformation. Today, apparel industry is the biggest foreign exchange earner, employing 3.0 million workers, mostly female.
Genome sequence represents a valuable shortcut, helping scientists find genes much more easily and quickly. A genome sequence allows scientists identify and understand how genes work together for the plant's different features like growth, development and maintenance as an entire organism. This allows them to manipulate the genes and enhance, reduce or add certain features of the plant. As against three billion genetic letters in human genome, jute has reportedly one billion. And sequencing of jute genome will open up a new scope. Jute is the second largest fibre crop in terms of cultivation next to cotton. Bangladesh is the world's second-largest producer of jute, after India, and the world's largest exporter of the fibre.
In the context of Bangladesh, what is painful to witness is that a large number of jute products developed by local scientists have not made it to the market despite their huge commercial potential, mostly due to the lax government attitude towards promoting and marketing them. Efforts to encourage more use of traditional jute products like sacks in packaging food grains, cement and fertiliser and increase the use of jute-based geotextile are also non-existent. Such a situation is due to the fact that the government does not have any research wing to analyse market data and create local and international markets.
Most of the jute products that have been developed by the BJRI (Bangladesh Jute Research Institute) are not being commercially manufactured. The institute has developed, among other things, blanket, good quality curtain cloth, wool and slab yarn from jute or sometimes blending acrylic and cotton in the process. Using biotechnology, the scientists developed hard paper from the jute plant. The technology uses 30 percent less energy compared to the ones used in traditional paper mills.
Entrepreneurs have not shown much interest in investing money in manufacturing newly discovered jute products. Bangladesh Jute Mills Association (BJMA) blamed the BJRI for this, saying the jute research institute is reluctant to transfer technologies to private entrepreneurs. One reason for the disinterest may be that the entrepreneurs want supply of jute all through the year. But the supply of jute is scarce.
Of late, the government has taken a commendable decision to promote the jute industry. The cabinet has recently approved a proposal paving the way for the enactment of a law making use of jute compulsory in packaging certain commodities. The proposed law would help increase the demand for jute and would benefit the farmers. and stipulate that jute sacks should be used for packaging of grains such as rice, wheat and other commodities such as sugar, fertiliser and cement. The country produces 5.5 million bales (1.0 bale equals 180kg) of raw jute every year compared with 7.0 million bales produced a decade ago. Only the food and disaster management ministry uses jute sacks but the industries ministry uses synthetic sacks for fertiliser and sugar packaging.
Private industries such as cement and sugar and other commodity producers do not use jute sacks. About two million of the bales produced are consumed and the remaining jute is exported. There were about 80 jute mills in the country in the 1970s which employed about 2,50,000 people. Now less than 50,000 people work in the jute mills as a handful of factories are in operation. The proposed law would encourage farmers to grow more jute as its demand has registered a significant growth on the local and the international market.
Back to genome sequencing, scientists and bioinformatics specialists believe this will potentially place Bangladesh at the forefront of the global jute industry and could rejuvenate the multi-million dollar jute industry. The significant benefit in upcoming years will help Bangladesh to develop new quality breeds of jute both in terms of fibre quality and resistance to various diseases. For the first time, the country will be able to farm jute throughout the year and in a shorter period, which will help save the farmers huge amount of cost.
The government needs to firm up its position in reaching the fruits of new innovation to the doorsteps of each and every farmer. Formulation of policies and their implementation to this effect brooks no delay. The country needs to file patent application to win the rights. Otherwise, the discovery will go in vain. Dr. Alam has rightly said the innovation will help us know where we need to intervene to develop the crop. This will take the agriculture forward. The country must hold on to its promises of attaining the desired result of jute genome sequencing.
szkhan@dhaka.net