"The situation in jute mills in Khalishpur, Khulna, has worsened recently. The retrenchment policy has generated great frustration and dissatisfaction among the mill workers," Prof Dr Atiur Rahman said.

Experts, economists and jute workers and labour leaders took part in the seminar styled 'Jute resources: Ways to resolve problems' held at the National Press Club in the city. Karmojibi Nari President Shirin Akhtar moderated the seminar.

Presenting the keynote paper, Mohammad Shahidullah, director of Karmojibi Nari, said that while Bangladesh has closed down the Adamjee Jute Mills with the World Bank loan of $2.50 million, India has strengthened its jute sector with the UNDP-funded project worth $ 2.35 million.

Regretting that the budget has no indication to revive the jute sector, the speakers wondered why the jute industry has been losing its past glory when there is a growing demand for jute across the world.

Labour leader Shahidullah Chowdhury said the successive governments did not take any steps to revitalise the industry. "Reforms of other sectors cannot be achieved without reforms in the jute sector," he said.

Khaled Rob, former director of Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation, said concerted efforts should be made immediately to revive the jute sector.

"We have had enough of blame game, we have had short- and long-term policies, we have had committees, but what we need is concerted efforts. We should not forget that the economic and social markets of jute is not small," he said.

He also observed that the biggest problems in the jute industry are fund crisis -- the jute mills cannot pay jute growers because they are not provided with the funds on time -- and erratic power supply.

Citing the statistics, he said jute and jute products have a market of five to six billion US dollars and that Bangladesh can have viable jute industries if the public and private organisations can take proper initiatives.

He insisted on disbursing Tk 300 crore immediately to jute mills for buying jute in order to protect the market from complete ruin.

Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, president of Bangladesh Economic Association, stressed the need to diversify the jute products to dominate market.

He also said that creating job opportunities is a very important issue in developing countries and the government can reduce poverty only by creating jobs, not by retrenching workers.

Saiful Haque, a leader of Khet Majur Union, and Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, assistant executive director of BILS, also spoke.