The New Nation - Internet Edition

Syful Islam

Deadlock over exporting raw jute is likely to go as the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) has allocated three ships for carrying the same for export purpose.

Nearly 7 lakh bales of raw jute worth Tk 40 crore stranded in Mongla Port for the last four months, as the BSC could not provide ship due to shortage of carrier.

A ship named 'Banglar Mukh' is now in Mongla to load nearly 55,000 bales of jute and carry those to the different export destinations.

"The Managing Director of BSC has assured us to give another ship---Banglar Maya---in the first week of April and another in May," Chairman of Bangladesh Jute Association (BJA) Rezaul Karim told this correspondent yesterday.

"This will temporarily solve our problem for some days and help continue the export," he said. Bangladesh mainly exports raw jute to Pakistan, India and China. Country's raw jute exports have increased to a large extent and now a days it reached 25 lakh bales against 17 lakh bales of 2/3 years back.

Bangladesh produces nearly 55 lakh bales of raw jute a year of which 30/32 lakh bales is being used locally and the rests are being exported.

According to the statistics available nearly 17,18,511 bales of raw jute have been exported during the July-January period of the current fiscal against last year's 13,40,776 bales of the same period.

Rezaul Karim, also the senor vice chairman of Shippers Council of Bangladesh, said BSC was established for carrying jute and jute goods to the different destinations.

There was an agreement between the BSC and the Pakistan Shipping Corporation that each of these will give a ship per month for carrying jute and jute goods. Pakistan Shipping Corporation stopped allocating ship in 1990's while the ship of BSC became irregular in 2000. It has created immense problem on jute export, he said.

The BJA president said if the shortage of ships of BSC continues and Bangladeshi exporters cannot provide raw jute in time importers will look for other destination resulting a big blow to the sector.

He said at present per 40 kilogram jute is selling between Tk 800 and Tk 1200 depending on quality. Farmers will not get appropriate price if jute cannot be exported due to carrier shortage, he said.

He urged the Government for continuous allocation of ships to carry raw jute abroad and help earn a vast amount of foreign exchange.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Pakistan Jute Mills Association visited Bangladesh last month. They met the different government high officials and requested for allocation of ships to carry raw jute to Pakistan.