Sakhawat calls for US investment in jute sector

Textiles and Jute Adviser Brigadier General (R.) Dr. M Sakhawat Hussain on Monday urged the United States to invest in Bangladesh’s jute and jute products producing industries describing it as a very promising sector.

“I call upon the United States to come up with investments in Bangladesh’s jute and jute products industries as it is an important and potential sector,” he said while the US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Helen LaFave paid a courtesy call on him at the latter’s ministry office at Secretariat in Dhaka, reports BSS.

The adviser said there are huge scopes for foreign investments in the public jute and textiles mills in Bangladesh, adding that Bangladesh has enough skilled and trained manpower in the sector.  

The use of jute and jute products has been showing an increasing trend to ward off the environmental catastrophe across the globe by cutting dependency on the use of plastic and polythene, he said.

The government has already imposed a ban on using polythene or polypropylene bags in all the super-shops in the country from October 1, he said.

“So, the bags of jute and clothes will be available in all super shops as a substitute for the polythene bags,” he said.

Sakhawat, also Shipping Adviser has sought cooperation from the US to build a dockyard in the Matarbari Deep Seaport as well as their investment in Matarbari Deep Seaport and shipbuilding industries.

The US Embassy Charge d’Affaires said the US and Bangladesh would work together in future to reduce the trade deficit between the two friendly countries, mentioning that the countries have closely been working on trade, business and different bilateral issues for mutual interests.