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Future of Jute: Appropriate Attention is the Need of the Hour

by M A Lais
***The Roundtable on Future of Jute (DS 19 Sept) throws enough light in the matter. I am too insignificant to make any comment. Yet as a retired service holder, who had been closely associated with Jute and Jute industry for over 35 years. 1 feel 1 may also throw some light on this subject of vital national importance.****
THE main reason -of losing tjie world market of Jtite by Bangladesh may he traced back to a com ment of the first jute minister of Bangladesh. Mr Musleh-uddin Ahmed, who once visited Dundee (UK) in connection with the jute business. He was shockingly shown some "yellow powder’ of rotten jute, in a tray, by the Dundee raw jute traders. On coining back to Dhaka, he was almost choked at the airport, and commented U> the waiting reporters. "We are producers of the best quality jute but we are not the best businessmen." His such comment need no further clarification, why our jute, the golden fibre, is gradually losing its position in the world market.
Jute is hygroscopic by na-. ture. It regains moisture under normal atmospheric condition, up to max. 17.75% (18%) in the wet season and 13.75% (14%) in. the dry season. But for trading, and for local consumption in the mills, max. up to 20% in the wet season, and 16% in the dry season were allowed for procurement of jute. Unfortunately, our traders of raw jute did not. and do not. bother even now about such limitation while trading of raw jute for export, as well as for local consumption in the mills.
Various grades and qualities of jute are generally deter mined by its strength, length, colour, smoothness, and presence of specs, runners on the body of the fibre, and the percentage of hard roots etc. High grade export quality jute is supposed to be completely free from all defects. The export quality fibre should be sufficient in length, strength, brilliancy of colour and in smoothness. "Top" and "Mid" qualities are generally mean, for export, while, the "Bottom quality jute is required for local consumption in the mills. But the question is. do our traders honestly and sincerely follow the criteria while dealing with raw jute?
Dishonesty has become a chronic disease in most of our trades, and perhaps more so in jute trade. The so-called "commission"’ has reportedly, become almost a legal demand (?) by our sector corporation personnel (buyers), from the
sellers of raw Jute at the different jute procurement cen tres In the distant villages of the country. The same commission’ system.is said to be also in practice with the agents of foreign buyers. Such type of illegal and corrupt practice in business must be severely dealt with, if we want to revive otir Jute for the future.
The British Expert Mission to Adamjee
Immediately after liberation. the Bangladesh Jute Industries Corporation (BJIC) was formed as part of the country's nationalisation policy. This corporation was, later on. renamed Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC). All the private jute mills, including those mills, abandoned by the Pakistani owners were brought under BJMC. The late Banga-bandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had requested the British government to send an expert team to study and Improve the condition of the war damaged jute industry of Bangladesh. In response to his call. The British Mission to Adamjee was here during 1973/74. One of the members of the team happened to be Mr D Robertson under whom I had the opportunity to work for " several years during Pakistan time. He came as a technical and Jute expert with the m'i-Ssion. On coming to Bangladesh after the war. Mr D Robertson was looking for me and was pleased to learn that I was alive. Later on, 1 was brought from the Rajshahi Jute Mills to Adamjee by him. and placed in the overall charge of "Jute and Batch Control.'"
The British Mission's thorough study and recommendations for Improvement of the Adamjee Jute Mills were recorded in their quarterly "Bulletin" published from Dundee and sent to the Bangladesh government as well as lo the BJMC for implementation.
Since I was very closely associated with the British Ml ssion. particularly with Jutland the Jute-batch . I should say that those were an excellent recommendations and. if implemented properly by the BJMC. the story of the jute in dustry of Bangladesh would have been different now. And the world consumers would not also have gone for wholesale artificial synthetic fibres now contesting our products of natural jute fibres on all fronts.
Besides other aspects. I could only say: the- standard set by the British mission (or White X' Bottom with proper strength and max. 20% root, occasional specs, but no runners. were their suggestion. (Here, I feel it will not be out of place to mention, that at present', as high as up to 30% root, including specs and' sometimes Runners are also allowed as standard for White 'X' Bottom Jute). However, the recommendation of the British million on Jute Batch was. that only White "X" Bot. of their standard would be sufficient for the Hessian Fabrics. As for the CBC Batch. White C Bot and Tassa X Bot to be used but no Mesta (it's a cruel fact that low grade weak fibre Mesta was being regularly used in the CBC Batch Just to keep the Batch Price down after departure of the British mission from Bangladesh. Mesta being a weak fibre, the foreign buyers did never like Mesta to be injected into the CBC Batch.
The British mission's suggestions on Jute and the "Jute Batch' was so. nice, so economic, and so high in standard that, the average daily production of the Adamjee Jute Mills raised as high as up to 265/270 tons per day, during their stay i.e. 1974/75. with reasonable cost/ton and max. profit.
The British mission's main objective of productivity in the Adamjee was :
1) An ideal Batch composi-., lion with the best standard
quality of Jute for an economic Batch-price' — no cheap Batch-price injecting poor quality Jute Into the Balch composition, making the Batch low. which Is injurious and affects production. ' quality of fabrics, and subsequently, leads the mills toward loss. 2) Low cost and high production.
3) To maintain steady and standard quality of finished products in order to attract foreign buyers. 4) Proper planning for advance booking of sale, and timely shipment. 5) Proper planning, for timely procurement of raw Jute, quality-wise. as per production requirement. to start Just with the beginning of the Jute season. 6) Proper maintenance and cleaning of the machineries. with requisite stock of all kinds of spare parts in the Store. 7) Early programme to be chalked out (before making advance booking of sale) for fulfilment of sale commitment by quick supply of finished goods for timely shipment, leaving no scope for unnecessary overtime work. 8) Disciplined administration, punctuality in duty by officers, staff, and workers, and smooth running of all the machineries jusl from the starting hour of the mills (which is only possible if the Project Head remains present at the mill-gate well ahead of the mills office starting hour).
There' are the pre-conditions for viability of a jute mills.
Unfortunately, after 1975 tragedy (killing of Bangaban-dhu). the principle and system of i he BJMC were totally Changed (for bad, as it appears nowl. and as a result, so valuable recommendations of the "British Mission" were thrown into the .waste paper box having been.totally rejected by the BJMC. Such poor attitude of the BJMC. as well as of the successive governments of Bangladesh, towards Jute, after 1975, is one of the main reasons for gradual downfall of Jute and Jute industry, maybe
leading to its ultimate extinction in the near future. If measures are not taken now.
Role of international Jute Organisation ( IJO)
The IJO was formed with its Head office in Dhaka with a noble intention of improving the overall corftiition of Jute sector of Bangladesh and in the neighbouring countries. The members of the I.JO were from India. Bangladesh. Pakis-tan. Nepal. Thailand, and the representatives.- from other buyers bf the donor countries of Asia. Europe, and the USA. One of the main objectives of the IJO -was to improve the quality of raw jute in Bangladesh. and to find out ways and means of expanding trade facilities of raw jute and jute goods to foreign countries. In this regard, one of their main programme in Bangladesh was to improve' the quality of raw jute at growers level by eliminating-roots, specs, runners etc. through improved and modern process of ’’Rating” by giving proper trairiing to our growers — .who are mostly poor and illiterate, living in the interior villages.
Now the question is. how far their mission in Bangladesh has been successful? Have they made any effort by deputing their men and field workers to the distant and interior Jute growing areas of the country? Have they ever given any training to our poor growers with improved system of "Rating Process", so that, roots, specs, runners etc could be totally, or at least partly, eliminated? If so. then why our country is losing the world market of raw jute and jute goods? Why the donor countries of the world are discouraging production of jute goods in Bangladesh and. rather, "encouraging India and Pakistan-to Increase their production and export?
From the above it appears that the role of the IJO in Bangladesh is rather negative, and their performance and contribution with regard to improvement of Jute and Jute industry in this country is nU. I strongly feel there is no more need for presence of the so-called IJO in Bangladesh. Our people, if become sincerely honest, zealous with patriotic mind, can themselves try to revive the future of jute in • Bangladesh without any outside assistance.
Some Suggestions
Tn conclusion. I would like to make some specific suggestions towards survival of Jute and jute industry of Bangla desh. negating its total collapse in the near future. The suggestions are:
1) To re-assess the role of the BJMC now controlling about 35 Jute mills.
2) To abolish all the zonal offices of Dhaka. Khulna and Chittagong to save cost.The' head office in Dhaka alone is quite sufficient to control the mills which number only 35.
3) The BJMC Audit Division may be abolished for the time being. The audit people of the BJMC Head office and the zone office very frequently visit the mills and often keep the management and other floor officers unnecessarily engaged for the whole day. as a result of which the normal function of the mills production Is serf ously hampered To speak the truth, those BJMC officers frequent visit to the mills, in the name of inspection, in fact, not always happens to be real
inspection or audit. The mills auditing can well be made by government commercial audit team at much lesser cost once in a year.
4) The project head of each mills under BJMC should be given maximum autonomy and full administrative power to run the mills independently, of course, with accountability so that, they may be able to bring the mills into viable productivity within a. reasonable time limit allowed to them.
5) A comprehensive pro-’ gramme to be chalked out for' procurement of raw jute quality wise as per batch composition. for production of different qualities of fabrics at the mills, well ahead of the coming Jute season, so that the procurement of rawjute can be made Just with the beginning of the season — not in the last week of August or in September. as it has become a peculiar system now-ardays. And raw Jute should be purchased, if possible on cash payment, directly from real growers in open market, not through the Farhlas or middlemen and contractors.
6) The CBA to be banned totally (if necessary, by enacting provision by the government). These CBA people, as it appears, unnecessarily interfere into the mills normal functions. They themselves often doing no work, just roam about in the mills and office. In many cases creating chaos and hampering normal production.
In absence of the CBA . the general sincere workers, staff and officers should be paid handsome wages/salary against their hard work for increasing productivity of the mills. Besides this, other lucrative facilities may also be provided to them, so that they need not go for any CBA.
7) The gpvemment may recruit some foreign experts from Dundee on contract basis, and appoint them as Project Head or advisor to some of the big mills under BJMC.
8) The government should provide each mills under BJMC with alternative Power Supply Generator', so thajk they may not depend on the 'mercy' of the PDB, which, as often found, is quite unable to supply required power' to the mills. Shortage pf power supply to almost all the mills except the Adamjee and its frequent strip off or load shedding without prior notice, is another -main reason for the jute mills' sustaining heavy loss.
9) In order to expand Jute trading in foreign market, all the officers of the Bangladesh diplomatic missions abroad may be instructed to explore the possibility of Jute and Jute goods from Bangladesh. An incentive bonus scheme may be introduced for the best explorer.
10) In the face of the competition and threat from synthetic fibres, already spread in the vyorld market, alternate ways and means to be found out and intensified effort made for diversification of our jute products.
Of course, it is encouraging •to note that our young scientists in this field are not sitting Idle. They have already invented "Geo-Textile products with low grade jute, and "Paper-Pulp” with green Jute. Their achievements should be handsomely rewarded. But still, we must not allow any complacency to creep tn and frantically try to explore the world market with diversified products from our higher grade Jute Then only we can be able lo ensure a future for our jute — maybe a golden future for the golden fibre.