Textiles, jute and commerce ministries adviser Sk Bashir Uddin has urged the entrepreneurs to give priority to aesthetics and practical utility in order to create opportunities for jute products to enter domestic and international markets.
The adviser made the call while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of a boot camp on sustainable market access for jute-based small and medium enterprises held this morning at the Jute Diversification Promotion Center (JDPC) in the capital鈥檚 Farmgate area, said a press release.
He said, 鈥業t鈥檚 not possible to go far by only making flowers and fruits with jute. When you make such decorative items, people enjoy looking at them but they don鈥檛 buy them. To move forward with jute products, we must make things that people actually buy-things that serve a practical purpose,鈥�
Mentioning that the government is working to create both local and international market access, he said that training for entrepreneurs is part of that effort.
鈥業nitially, we took the initiative to introduce 30 lakh jute bags into the market, which we later expanded to one crore. We are providing a 30-40 percent subsidy for marketing these bags, and we have allocated funds for that. But, the efforts from entrepreneurs have not been very satisfactory. Completing a tender process has taken them 4-5 months, which is not satisfactory,鈥� he added.
Bashir further said that in order to sell products, entrepreneurs must consider three important aspects: first, the practical usability of the product; second, ensuring its aesthetic appeal; and finally, evaluating its market access capacity.
Jute Diversification Promotion Center director general Md Zahid Hossain, joint secretary of the WTO Cell of the Ministry of Commerce Shayla Yasmin, global strategist Tara Malhare, and International Trade Center project coordinator Dang Bruce also spoke at the event.
A total of 105 small and medium entrepreneurs working with jute products are receiving training in this three-day workshop.
