UNB, Khulna :
Production in nine state-owned jute mills in Khulna-Jessore region is being hampered due to crisis of raw jute while the stock of unsold jute products is increasing.
Jute products worth Tk 3.15 billion have been lying unsold for long, causing financial crisis in the mills and hampering payment of regular wages of workers and employees, said mills sources.
Among the nine state-owned jute mills, seven are located in Khulna and the rest two in Jessore area.
The seven Khulna region jute mills are Daulatpur Jute Mill, Khalishpur Jute Mill, Platinum Jubilee Jute Mill, Crescent Jute Mill, Star Jute Mill, Alim Jute Mill, Eastern Jute Mill while Jessore region’s two jute mills are-Carpeting Jute Mill and Jessore Jute Industries (JJI) Mill.
Four types of products – sack, hessian, carper backing cloth and yarn-are produced in the jute mills.
Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) decided to produce products keeping 3,650 handlooms operative in the jute mills in the current fiscal year.
But, only 2,099 handlooms are operating which is only 57 per cent of the target. As a result, 47 per cent of the mill workers remained unemployed.
The mill authorities said it is not being possible to buy raw jute for financial crisis, leading to failure in achieving the production target.
The target of buying raw jute for the year 2018-2019 was fixed at 748,000 quintals. But only 81,610 quintals have been bought in the last four months which is just 11 per cent of the target.
However, the BJMC authorities said when the produced goods will be sold, the financial crisis will be over.
Md Sohrab Hossain, general secretary of CBA and non CBA Oikyo Parisad, said it is the season of purchasing raw jutes but there is no allocation for purchasing it.
