Raw jute crisis hampers production at Khulna-Jashore region mills

KHULNA, Nov 10 (UNB): Production in nine state-owned jute mills in Khulna-Jeshore region is being hampered due to crisis of raw jute while the stock of unsold jute products is increasing.
Jute products worth Tk 3.15 billion have been lying unsold for long, causing financial crisis in the mills and hampering payment of regular wages of workers and employees, said mills sources.
Among the nine state-owned jute mills, seven are located in Khulna and the rest two in Jeshore area.
The seven Khulna region jute mills are - Daulatpur Jute Mill, Khalishpur Jute Mill, Platinum Jubilee Jute Mill, The Crescent Jute Mill, Star Jute Mill, Alim Jute Mill, Eastern Jute Mill while Jeshore region's two mills are -Carpeting Jute Mills and Jeshore Jute Industries (JJI) Mill.
Four types of products - sack, hessian, carper backing cloth and yarn--are produced in the jute mills.
Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) decided to produce products keeping 3,650 handlooms operative in the jute mills in the current fiscal year. But, only 2,099 handlooms are operating which is only 57 per cent of the target.
As a result, 47 per cent of the mill workers remained unemployed.
The mill authorities said it is not being possible to buy raw jute for financial crisis, leading to failure in achieving the production target.
The target of buying raw jute for the year 2018-2019 was fixed at 0.74 million quintals. But only 81610 quintals have been bought in the last four months which is just 11 per cent of the target.
However, the BJMC authorities said when the produced goods will be sold, the financial crisis will be over.
Md Sohrab Hossain, general secretary of CBA and non CBA Oikyo Parisad, said it is the season of purchasing raw jutes but there is no allocation for purchasing it.
So the jute mill authorities are not being able to buy jute at lower price. Later, they have to purchase it at higher price which will boost the production cost.
The CBA leader urged authorities concerned to allocate fund for purchasing raw jute this season and take initiative for selling produced products.
Dr JAM Mahabub-ur-Rashid Julfikar, project chief of Eastern Jute Mill, said that the production has been declined due to lack of fund.
The production target is 16.34 tonnes where only 7 to 10 tonnes have been produced.
If the Jute Packaging Law is implemented in the local market, then the sale of goods will be increased, he said.
Sheikh Rahmat Ullah, regional coordination officer of BJMC, said that if the mill authorities can sell stock of products, the crisis will be solved.
Then, the mill authorities will be able to buy raw jute.
He expected that the crisis will be over within one or two months.