Dhaka: The Department of Jute has collected fines amounting to Tk 45,81,970 through drives conducted across the country in the first nine months of the current fiscal year for violating the jute packaging law. During the same period, a total of 655 mobile courts were conducted nationwide.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, officials concerned with the department emphasized that ensuring the use of jute-made bags for packaging 19 products, including paddy, rice, maize, sugar, and fertilizer, would create more employment opportunities in the country. Director of the Department of Jute, Uttom Kumar Mondol, stated that the fines were realized through drives conducted from July 2025 to March 2026. Several individuals also faced imprisonment under the law for various offenses.
Mobile courts were operated in different districts with a target to conduct 1,100 drives in the next fiscal year (2026-27). Under the “Mandatory Jute Packaging Act, 2021,” the use of jute bags or sacks has been made compulsory for packaging 19 types of goods, including major items like paddy, rice, wheat, maize, fertilizer, and sugar. The government has also made jute packaging mandatory for products like ginger, garlic, onion, lentil, chili, turmeric, coriander, flour, atta, powdered milk, poultry feed, and fish feed, bringing the total to 19 items.
The law aims to protect the environment and increase the use of jute, safeguarding the interests of jute farmers and mill owners while limiting the use of environmentally harmful plastic bags. Executive magistrates, Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs), Assistant Commissioners (Land), and officials of the Department of Jute jointly conduct these drives through mobile courts. Violations of the law result in fines, imprisonment, or both.
The Department of Jute is responsible for issuing and renewing licenses for jute-related businesses, with around 11,000 licenses currently issued across the country. The department provides and renews 12 types of licenses, including those for exporters of jute goods, raw jute exporters, manufacturers of jute goods, and various brokers and dealers.
Regular drives are also conducted to prevent hoarding of jute, with strict limits on storage by aratdars. Violators face penalties, including obtaining undertakings to sell stored jute in the market within three to seven days.
Director General Syed Md Nurul Basir highlighted that full implementation of the “Mandatory Jute Packaging Act, 2021” would create more employment opportunities and boost the rural economy, generating jobs for many people across the country. It would also help protect the environment and promote sustainable development.
Syed Md Nurul Basir noted that after meeting domestic demand, a portion of locally produced jute is exported, mainly to India and Pakistan. He also mentioned challenges faced by farmers, such as delayed payments from millers, and stressed the importance of initiatives to encourage jute cultivation by providing seeds and fertilizers.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha