Seven closed jute mills to be reopened: State Minister

President Mohammed Shahabuddin will inaugurate a nine-day Jute and Diversified Jute Products Fair starting Friday.

The inauguration will be held online, said State Minister for Textiles and Jute Md Shariful Alam.

He disclosed this information at a briefing held at the Ministry of Textiles and Jute at the Secretariat on Thursday.

The state minister said that along with the celebration of National Jute Day, a nine-day Jute and Diversified Jute Products Fair will be held from 6 March to 14 March at the premises of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

He said President Mohammed Shahabuddin will inaugurate the fair online. On behalf of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, all interested buyers, entrepreneurs, businesspeople, individuals and stakeholders related to jute and jute products have been invited to attend the fair.

The briefing also announced that seven closed jute mills are being reopened. The remaining mills will be reopened later under private management.

The state minister said the current government aims to transform the country into a modern, democratic, upper-middle-income nation and build a $1 trillion economy by 2034. Eliminating unemployment and creating jobs are among the government’s election commitments. To achieve this, the government will take coordinated initiatives to reopen jute mills that were shut down during the mismanagement of the previous regime.

At the same time, in order to create employment opportunities and contribute to the national economy, the process of leasing out jute mills under the control of the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) to private operators on a long-term basis is continuing.

Among the mills already leased out, around 7,200 workers are currently employed in nine mills, which the state minister said is playing a positive role in production and employment in the country.