Jute goods makers target green consumers
Jute goods manufacturers are taking part in the Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) to catch the attention of foreign buyers on the back of quality products and growing use of the eco-friendly items.
Mohammad Wasiur Rahman, proprietor of Craft N Kraft, said he has brought more than 100 items to the fair including shopping bags, laptop bags, seminar bags, showpieces, baskets and backpacks for both foreign buyers and domestic clients.
He has received bulk orders from China and buying houses in Bangladesh so far in the month-long fair and hopes to bag more.
“The DITF will help in promoting jute products and creating clients as buyers can choose items on the spot,” Rahman said.
Rahman's products are being exported to various countries through buying houses and third parties.
He is one of the 26 jute product manufacturers who are taking part in the fair at the pavilion of the Jute Diversification Promotion Centre (JDPC) of the government.
Officials of the JDPC say the government provides 50 percent subsidies on stall rent for the entrepreneurs as part of jute diversification efforts to increase the export of jute products.
Jute and jute goods make up the third sector after apparel and leather and leather goods which crossed the $1 billion-mark in export receipts.
According to the Export Promotion Bureau, the sector earned $1.02 billion from jute and jute products exports last fiscal year.
Rubina Akter Munni, owner of Design By Rubina, an exporter and wholesaler of jute products, says she exports jute products to India, China and the Philippines directly and regularly gets bulk orders from the corporate sector.
About the significance of participating in the fair, she said it would help her introduce her products to new buyers and visitors as well as generate brand value.
Munni manufactures about 200 jute products including panjabis, waistcoats, saris and toys. Wine bags are the most popular among foreign buyers.
Jute Crafts, a concern of Probity Expansive Assist Committee Foundation (PEACEF), a social welfare organisation, is showcasing jute products made by a number of survivors of the Rana Plaza collapse.
Afjal Hossain, executive director of the firm, said his organisation had provided jobs to 14 survivors.
This was the first time Jute Crafts is taking part in the fair after starting manufacturing of jute products in 2017.
“This fair is helping us market and advertise products, create buyers and boost sales,” said Hossain.
Ishrat Jahan, proprietor of K2K Wears International, said earlier people used to consider jute goods as low-end products but now everybody considered it as environment-friendly products. “So, the demand for jute goods is steadily increasing globally,” she said.
She said a number of buyers and exporters visited her stall in the fair. She bagged a spot order from a buyer from the UK – a feat she is treating as a success of her company.
