RANGPUR, March 30, 2022 (BSS) - Experts at a training workshop have underscored the need for enhancing cultivation and production of high quality jute to revive the past glory of the 'golden' fiber.

     They viewed this at the event titled 'Increasing production of high-yielding varieties of jute and jute seeds adopting improved technology' held at the upazila parishad auditorium in Gangachara upazila here on Tuesday afternoon.

     The Gangachara upazila administration jointly with the Directorate of Jute organised the event participated by 100 selected farmers for extension of modern jute farming technologies at farmers' level.

     Project Director of the Directorate of Jute Deepak Kumar Saha virtually inaugurated the event as the chief guest with Gangachara Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ershad Uddin in the chair.

     District Jute Development Officer AKM Mahbub Alam Biswas, Chief Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Jute Research Institute at its Rangpur station Dr. Abul Fazal Mollah and Upazila Vice-chairmen Shaju Mian Lal and Rabeya Begum addressed the event.

     Gangachara Upazila Agriculture Officer Shariful Islam delivered a welcome speech narrating the goals and objectives of the training workshop.

     Mahbub Alam Biswas said demand of jute is increasing globally as the fiber is also being used as composite jute textile, construction materials for earthquake surviving houses, geo-textiles and other proposes predicting a brighter prospect for exporting jute.

     Dr Abul Fazal Mollah said the present government has taken various pragmatic initiatives to revive the jute sector through diversifying use and adding the eco-friendly commodity to the country's export basket.

     "The government has made use of jute sacs mandatory during storage and transportation of paddy, rice, wheat, maize, fertilisers, sugar, green chili, ginger, turmeric, garlic, pulse, coriander, potato, flour and rice leftovers to increase its local demand," he said.

     The chief guest said multidimensional use of jute products continues increasing both at home and abroad following adverse effects of synthetic fiber on the environment creating a brighter prospect to enhance production of the fiber.

     Later, high quality jute seeds and fertilizers were distributed among the participating farmers free of cost.