DHAKA, March 6 (Xinhua) -- As part of its continued efforts to revive the golden era of jute, the Bangladeshi government on Monday observed the "National Jute Day" for the first time in the country.
The slogan of the day is "Golden fiber, golden country, jute goods of Bangladesh."
The day was inaugurated with a colorful rally in capital Dhaka in which Bangladeshi Minister for Textile and Jute Imaj Uddin Pramanik and State Minister Mirza Azam attended.
Various colorful events including decoration of important places in the capital with lights and festoons, rally, cultural programs, boat rally and displaying of diversified jute goods have also been arranged to mark the day.
Mirza Azam said earlier that the day would be observed through various activities to boost domestic use of the golden fiber.
A three-day fair of jute goods will be held at Bangabandhu International Convention Center in the capital on March 6-8, he said.
Diplomatic missions of Bangladesh in different countries will also arrange programs to mark the day, he said.
He said that Bangladesh would become a middle-income country by 2021 through expansion of export markets of jute and jute goods and creation of more jobs in the sector from which the country in the 2015-16 fiscal year earned 919.58 million U.S. dollars.
Export from jute and jute goods in the last fiscal year grew 11.52 percent.
In January, the Bangladeshi government made use of jute bags mandatory for 11 more products to boost domestic use of the golden fiber after the imposition of anti-dumping duty on jute goods imported from Bangladesh by the Indian government.
The government has made the use of jute bags compulsory in the preservation and transporting of 20 kg or more of commodities like onion, ginger, garlic, pulses, potato, flour, chili, turmeric, coriander seeds and husks of rice and wheat.
In a similar order, the Bangladeshi government has made use of jute bags mandatory for six products - paddy, rice, wheat, corn, fertilizer and sugar.
India on Jan. 5 imposed anti-dumping duty ranging from 6.30 dollars to 351.72 dollars per ton on imports of jute and jute products from Bangladesh and Nepal to protect domestic industry.
