The National Jute Day-2022 is being observed today throughout the country with a view to making jute goods popular among the people.
This year's theme of the day is 'Golden country of olden fibre - Environment friendly Bangladesh'.
On the eve of the day, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages greeting the people involved with the jute sector.
In their messages, they hoped that jute will play a positive role in the economic development of the country as well as protection of the environment once its multiple usages are ensured.
President Hamid in his message said the government has taken various initiatives, including modernization of the state-owned jute mills, to bring back the glorious past of the jute sector.
"The Mandatory Jute Packaging Act 2010 and the Mandatory Jute Packaging Rule 2013 have been implemented to increase the domestic demand for jute," the president said, adding that the Jute Act-2017 has also been enacted for facilitating long-term development of jute sector, including cultivation of jute and protection of jute.
Entrepreneurs are now producing 282 types of jute goods, he said and laid emphasis on production of more environment-friendly jute items along with taking steps for branding those products abroad.
Abdul Hamid hoped that the use of environment-friendly jute products would accelerate flourishing of the industry, which would ensure fair price of jute for jute farmers and thus the country's economy would be benefitted.
In her message Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act-2010 and the other rules regarding this are already playing a positive role for protecting the environment and the public interest.
The premier said enactment of the Jute Act-2017 and National Jute Policy - 2018 have been playing an important role for the overall development of the jute sector.
"As a result, the interest of all stakeholders of the jute sector has been ensured," she added.
"The present government has been working relentlessly to improve the living standard of the common people. Our goal is to establish Bangladesh as a developed-prosperous country by 2041 and I believe that jute and jute goods would be one of the main means in achieving that goal," she added.
