Demra:State Minister for Textiles and Jute Md Shariful Alam emphasized the importance of applying research outcomes for practical and commercially viable technologies and products, rather than confining them to laboratories.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the state minister made these remarks during a program for handing over the machinery of the 'Sonali Bag' pilot project and signing a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) at Latif Bawani Jute Mill. The MoU was signed between the Bangladesh Jute Mill Corporation (BJMC), Bangladesh Climate Change Trust, and Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU).
The state minister highlighted that the unused equipment from the project has been transferred to MBSTU to ensure the appropriate use of public resources. The equipment was handed over to MBSTU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. ABM Shahidul Islam.
The Sonali Bag, an environment-friendly, 100 percent plastic-free biodegradable jute-based biopolymer made from jute cellulose, was initiated under a pilot project by BJMC in 2018. Despite achieving a technological breakthrough, the project has not reached commercial viability due to funding shortages, remaining economically unfeasible due to high production costs.
In April 2019, Tk 10 crore was allocated from the Bangladesh Climate Trust Fund for the production of this bag. The state minister noted the need for further research and development to make the project commercially viable, assigning MBSTU the task of advancing the research for national and public benefit.
Notable attendees at the event included Tangail-2 constituency lawmaker M Abdus Salam Pintoo, Textiles and Jute Secretary Sharf Uddin Ahmad Chowdhury, BJMC Chairman Brigadier General M Kabir Uddin Sikder, and MBSTU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. ABM Shahidul Islam.