From now on, the country's poultry and fish feed manufacturers have to use jute bags for packaging their products.
The Ministry of Textiles and Jute issued a circular recently to this end.
According to the circular, the government has enlisted the poultry and fish feed industries under the Mandatory Jute Packaging rules in order to promote the use of jute bags.
With this enlistment, a total of 19 products are now on the list of Mandatory Jute Packaging Act.
Other products are paddy, rice, wheat, maize, fertiliser, sugar, spices, turmeric, onion, ginger, garlic, coriander, pulses, potato, flour, crude flour (ata) and rice bran.
Sector insiders said the use of the eco-friendly product will increase further after the poultry and fish feed manufacturers start using jute bags.
In June last, an inter-ministerial meeting decided that both the public and private jute millers would supply jute bags made as per the specifications of the Ministry of Fisheries And Livestock (MoFL).
If Bangladesh Jute mills Corporation (BJMC) could not supply enough jute bags as per demand, it would give a no objection letter. Then the ministry concerned can procure jute bags through tender, the meeting decided.
Bangladesh Jute Mills Association (BJMA) secretary Abdul Barik Khan told the FE that they are happy over such a move by the government.
It will help increase the use of jute-made products, he said.
However, poultry and fish feed industry insiders expressed worries at this move and termed it a bad decision.
Khandker Mohammad Mohsin, general secretary of the Bangladesh Poultry Khamar Rokkha Jatiya Parishad, said that using jute packaging would harm the quality of poultry feed as its ingredients, including vitamin and minerals, are very sensitive.
If the feed is not preserved in airtight bags, the quality cannot be ensured. Besides, the cost of the production will increase, which will have an impact on consumers, he added.
So the government should review its decision, he suggested.
According to the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act, selected products must be packaged in jute bags. Violators face punishment of a maximum of one year in jail or a fine of Tk 50,000 or both for using synthetic bags.
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