'PJMA providing jobs to 125,000 workers'

"We are providing jobs to 125,000 workers directly or indirectly still the Government has been continuously neglecting us," said a spokesman of Pakistan Jute Mills Association (PMJA) while talking to media persons here on Saturday. He said Thal Jute Mills in Muzaffargarh is providing jobs to more than 8,000 workers. He has urged the government to follow in the footsteps of Bangladesh which has adopted an aggressive approach to support its jute sack industry and saving this job-oriented industry from closure.
Spokesman of the Association said Pakistan should follow Bangladesh where recently appellate division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has supported their government's decision to make use of jute bags necessary for packaging rice/grain in order to provide assistance to jute sack industry against the polypropylene or plastic bags. It may be added here that Bangladesh has already promulgated orders nominating jute sacks mandatory packaging for wheat grains storage.
The government is also providing seven percent cash subsidy for exporting jute items. It is ironic that the government of Pakistan has been continuously neglecting a sector which is at present supporting more than 125,000 people directly and indirectly, he said. He added if the government would have promulgated such an order, as per the requests made in pre-budget proposals, it could have reduced the risk of contamination of food grains and environmental hazards that are associated to synthetic packaging. Besides, Pakistan could have earned green credit among the countries which have adopted eco-and-human friendly packaging.
He said worldwide jute is considered as the best option for the storage of wheat and other grains as its natural fibres did not interfere with the breathing process of the grains and keep their quality intact for longer time period due to their ability to protect them from sunlight and heat. The PJMA spokesman argued that using jute sacks could prove beneficial in the situation where Pakistan is acutely lacking proper bulk handling facilities.
One can easily calculate the cost advantage by the fact that government is procuring six or seven times more poly bags than the jute sacks owing to their limited reuse capability, he said. He added that wastage disposal was another issue with the increased usage of poly bags. On the other hand, jute sacks also offer the recycling advantage as torn bags can be sewed with sutra (jute chords) which is impossible with poly bags as carcinogenic oxides are released in the atmosphere during recycling. It is for this very reason, recycling of Polypropylene bags is prohibited in European countries.