Jute Lifestyle Expo 13, a three-day exhibition, was launched on Friday at the city’s Dhanmondi Art Centre with a call to promote jute cultivation and jute diversified products across the country.
The programme aims to uphold the value of jute as an eco-friendly alternative for a sustainable future.
Tradecraft Exchange in association with Tarango hosted the exhibition at the city’s Rabindra Sarabar in Dhanmondi.
SK Sur Chowdhury, deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank, inaugurated the programme, which was attended by renowned design consultant Chandra Shekhar Shaha, executive director of the Jute Diversification Promotion Centre, Khandakar Mokhlesur Rahman, and operations manager of the exhibition, Sadruzzaman Noor.
The speakers emphasised the use of jute diversified products to retrieve its past glory.
They attributed the decline in the use of jute products to the lack of consumer and government patronage.
The discussion said the "golden fiber of Bangladesh" could contribute to the country’s economy, and catch global markets if properly promoted.
In his address, SK Chowdhury said the government has undertaken a series of projects to revive the jute sector in domestic and global markets.
The deputy governor underscored the need for jute research and campaigns for the use of jute products.
"If we create domestic markets first, we will be able to export jute products to the global market,” he said.
Speaking on the issue, Chandra called jute an eco-friendly product, saying it has a great sustainable future.
“If we start using the alternative fiber, it will create markets in our country,” said the consultant.
Chandra stressed that the media can be an effective tool to promote the cause and facilitate an entry of the country’s jute products into international markets.
“We formed a design team that enlisted 40 SMEs to develop jute diversified products. Thirty of them made 830 products in keeping with fashion values,” he said.
Khandakar echoed this in his address of the programme.
He advocated the use of jute products, which he described as environment-friendly.
Sadruzzaman said jute could become very handy in every day life.
A series of jute products like bags, files, folders, wallets, diaries, laptop-carrier bags and cardholders were displayed at the exhibition.
There also had home decorations like mats and fashion items like jewelry and ladies’ fashionable bags displayed in the show.
“If a visitor buys any product from the exhibition, we will deliver it upon receiving the order,” Sadruzzaman said. The exhibition will remain open from 11am to 8pm till May 12.