The future of International Jute Organisation (IJO) looks bleak as its member countries at their Geneva meeting last week failed to renew the 1989 International Agreement on Jute and Jute Products that would have given It another lease of life, sources said

The talks failed as its European Union (EU) members of stayed away from the meeting, saying that IJO failed to promote trade on Jute and jute products.

The IJO will automatically get liquidated If the 1989 agreement Is not renewed by April I 1

The sources however said the IJO meeting has beep recon-

vened in Dhaka on April 6-7 that will try to set some "instruments for a successor agreement" to give it another lease of life.

This meeting is scheduled to be followed by a meeting of the International Jute Council (IJC) in Dhaka on April 8-9 which would take up IJO's policy' matters and its funding. IJC Is an apex body which determines policy of the IJO.

The Geneva meeting, held under the auspices of the UNCTAD adopted a resolution which stopped short of referring to a “successor agreement" but sajd proposals on a “successor Instrument" for IJO

were welcome

The sources said that even if the 15 EU members of the 25-member IJO stay away from the April 6-7 meeting, it will be able to take decisions about the future of the organisations. Attendance of one third members is required to take decisions, they said.

1JO members account for nearly 90 per cent of exports and 40 per cent of imports of jute In international trade, according to UNCTAD.

Launched in 1984, MO Is nm by its members' contributions amounting to about one million US dollars annually. EU members contribute about 30 per cent of it.

In recent times, there has been criticism that IJO failed to make Jute competitive with cheaper and more durable synthetic materials.

IJO Executive Director Henri L Jason, based in Dhaka, told The Dally Star last month that if IJO is not given a new lease of life, all its activities over the past 15 years would go In vain.