State-owned jute mills incurred loss of Tk3,168 crore in last fiscal: Minister
Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) operated mills have incurred a loss of Tk3,168 crore in the last fiscal year, informs Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi.
He said that the state-owned mills spent a staggering Tk3,652 crore against the earning of a mere Tk484.48 crore during FY2020-21.
The minister revealed the figures while responding to a question raised by Jatiya Party MP Moshiur Rahman Ranga during Thursday's Jatiya Sangsad session.
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Of the 25 jute mills run by BJMC, 24 have been shut down and one has been rented out.
"Textile villages are being set up in two of them while two others are being turned into PPPs."
Responding to a question from Bangladesh Workers Party lawmaker Lutfun Nesa Khan (reserved seat for women), the minister said around 5.03 lakh tonnes of raw jute has been exported in the first eight months of the current fiscal.
"Besides, some 5.86 lakh tonnes of raw jute and 7.82 lakh tonnes of jute products were exported in FY2020-21."
Replying to a question raised by Awami League MP Habib Hasan, Gazi said, "At present, there are a total of 589 weaving factories with 116,117 units operating across the country (as per a 2018 census).
"Some 47.47 crore metres of fabrics are produced in handloom factories. This amounts to 28% of the country's textile demand."
At present, the number of looms in the country stands at 290,282, the minister added.
