Staff Reporter :
The Bangladesh Jute Traders Association (BJTA) is going to start agitation for realisation of their dues.
The leaders of the association also warned that they would stop supplying raw jute to the state-owned mills if the BJMC does not pay their dues.
The BJMC racked up Tk 2.65 billion in dues to traders and farmers between fiscal year 2016-17 and 2019-20, Shamim Ahmed Morol, Convener of the BJTA, said in a press briefing on Sunday.
As part of the protest, the BJTA will stage a sit-in programme in front of the BJMC office in the capital on Tuesday.
Their businesses are staring at closure due to the fund crunch brought about by the BJMC’s failure to pay the arrears, Shamim said.
The leaders of the association said that the BJMC are paying salaries and allowances of their officials, workers and staff while ‘neglecting’ the payment of dues to the raw jute suppliers.
“The BJMC recently earned Tk 3.32 billion by selling the jute products. As such they could pay the suppliers from that amount. We wrote to the BJMC chairman, but received no assurance,” said Tipu Sultan, one of the association’s leaders.
The jute traders added that they submitted a memorandum to the prime minister on July 20, stating their plight.
“We will begin our protest on August 18. If needed, we will go for more rigorous programmes, including a hunger strike,” said Shamim.
At least four million farmers in the country cultivate jute, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension. The jute industry contributes 0.26 per cent of the country’s GDP, making up 1.4 per cent of the agricultural output.
At present, Bangladesh uses around 750,500-800,000 hectares of land to grow 800,000 bales of jute fibre.
At least 51 per cent of the jute fibre are produced in the country and used in the jute mills, while 44 per cent are exported, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension. Only five per cent of the produce is used by households and cottage industries.
The government had shut down all 26 loss-making jute mills under the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation in July. The move would send about 25,000 workers into early retirement once their pay was settled under a scheme, euphemistically called a golden handshake.
The government plans to restart the mills after revamping operations under the public-private partnership or PPP.
