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New hopes for jute products

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD FEB. 13. Though India has nearly 1,500 jute diversified products (JDPs) manufacturers and exports of these products were Rs. 350 crores last year, there is immense potential here which can be tapped further to cater to markets such as the U.S. and Europe. What with industrialisation and plastics taking its toll, and opinion across developed and developing world strongly favouring environment friendly technologies and substances, markets for JDPs should be good.

"There is lot of demand for JDPs in the global market. But there is need to create awareness for JDPs and remove the myth that jute is meant only for foodgrain bags (gunny bags)," says B. V. Rama Rao, the newly elected Chairman of the Jute Manufacturers and Exports Council, established only a few days ago.

Speaking to The Hindu here, Mr. Rao pointed out that these products satisfy westerners who crave for biodegradable and eco-friendly products. Jute is biodegradable and eco-friendly as its contents are cellulose and lignin and does not generate toxic gases when burnt. "More JDPs should come up and for this we need to convince people that JDPs are viable and that markets exist domestically and internationally," he says, pointing out that exports have been growing at about 20 per cent.

Enroute, of course, one has to contend with competition from countries such as Bangladesh (whose main crop is jute and its export), Thailand and China. India itself has about 10 lakh hectares under raw jute cultivation, with production at 107 lakh bales.

Major exports are to the U.S. (34 per cent), Germany (9 per cent), Italy and Belgium (5 per cent), and the U.K. 7 per cent. There are about 400 merchant exporters in India, 79 composite units (which make yarn to finished products) of which 73 are in West Bengal. In Andhra Pradesh, there are 28 mills, only 6 of them are composite units, while the rest make twine yarn.

Given the immense potential and `base' that the country enjoys, Mr. Rao is confident that the new body's membership can be increased from 350 to nearly 5,000 in 2-3 years.

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