Staff Reporter:
The government has taken necessary measures to ensure availability of quality jute seeds in the current season, and there will be no shortage, said Adviser to the Ministries of Textile and Jute, and Commerce Sk. Bashir Uddin.
The Adviser made the remarks while speaking at a meeting with leaders of the Bangladesh Jute Spinners Association at his office in the Ministry of Commerce at Bangladesh Secretariat yesterday.
During the meeting, jute exporters informed the adviser that due to the export of raw jute, some unscru-pulous traders have reportedly started illegal hoarding in a bid to destabilize the market, said a press re-lease.
As a result, jute prices have been rising continuously, benefiting hoarders rather than farmers. They al-leged that such practices are creating disorder in the jute market and warned that unless illegal hoarding is stopped genuine jute farmers and all stakeholders involved in the jute business would suffer, ultimate-ly harming the country’s economy.
The association leaders urged the government to take immediate steps to prevent hoarding.
In response, the adviser said the government would adopt a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy against illegal jute hoarding. He announced that legal action would be taken very soon to curb hoarding in four major jute-producing districts of the country.
Textile and Jute Ministry Secretary Bilkis Jahan Rimi, Bangladesh Jute Spinners Association President Tapas Pramanik, Vice Chairman Faruk Hossain, Board Directors Mohammad Shahjahan, and Helal Ah-med, among others, were present at the meeting.
