Yet to achieve self-sufficiency on jute seed production: minister

Agriculture Minister Abdus Shahid today said Bangladesh has not yet achieved self-sufficiency in jute seed production and still relies on imports from India.

"Reducing dependence on imported jute seeds and boosting domestic production is a key priority. The government is working on a priority basis to increase jute production with less land," he said at a seminar organised by the Bangladesh Jute Research Institute in Dhaka.

"In 2015, the country produced 51 lakh bales of jute. It rose to 84 lakh bales in fiscal year 2022–23. Out of this, about 43 lakh bales of jute and jute products have been exported," said the minister.

Jute and jute goods exports have earned Tk 8,000 crore in foreign exchange, he said.

"While jute was Bangladesh's main cash crop in the 1980s providing 75 percent of export earnings, the ready-made garment sector has now taken over as the top foreign exchange earner," he said.

The government has recognised jute as an agricultural commodity, he added.

Addressing the jute researcher, Shahid said, "To fully utilise the genome sequencing establishment, you must work with sincerity and determination and maintain a more focused research approach."

Abdul Awal, director general of BJRI, and Dr Mosaddek, research coordinator of the Genome Research Department, also spoke.