2 weeks ago
Bangladesh jute mandate fails to stop plastic sack switch
Bangladesh grows a plant called jute, which is used to make strong and nature-friendly bags.
The government made a rule that many foods must be packed in jute bags instead of plastic.
But plastic bags cost much less, so many people still use them.
A rice mill named Sakhina showed that jute bags can be used many times, so they can actually save money.
The government checks shops and has fined people for not following the rule.
Some mill owners say jute bags are hard to find in the market.
Big government jute factories were closed in 2020, which made things harder.
Experts say the rule alone will not work and that better supply and lower prices are needed.
Everyone agrees plastic bags cause pollution, but making the change is difficult.
Bangladesh, the world's second-largest jute producer, has seen a 2010 law mandating jute packaging for 19 essential commodities largely fail to stop the switch to plastic sacks.
A 50-kg synthetic bag costs 20 takas (16 cents) versus 80 takas (65 cents) for a jute sack, but jute sacks can be reused at least three times and mended for further use.
Sakhina Rice Mill in Sherpur district exclusively uses jute sacks, debunking fellow millers' claims that jute packaging reduces profit margins.
Mill owners say they are forced to use synthetic bags because jute sack supply is unreliable, and they complain the government fines them while failing to ensure supply.
Between July 2025 and June 2026 the government conducted 1,093 mobile courts and filed 1,399 cases to enforce the act, after 25 state-owned jute mills were closed in 2020.
- Who
- Bangladesh's rice millers, jute farmers, and the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, along with the Department of Jute.
- What
- A 16-year-old law requiring 19 essential commodities to be packaged in jute is largely failing as cheaper plastic and poly bags remain widely used.
- Where
- Bangladesh, including the northern Sherpur district and the northwestern Naogaon district.
- When
- The law was enacted in 2010; enforcement data covers July 2025 to June 2026, with production figures for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years.
- Why
- Plastic bags are cheaper and easier to obtain, while jute sack supply is unreliable, making the mandate hard to follow.
Mandate supporters
Mandate critics
Legislation as the solution
Mandate supporters
The government says mobile courts enforcing the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act aim to stop unlawful plastic use and create demand that protects millions of jute growers.
Mandate critics
Former BARC chief M Wais Kabir says saving jute through legislation is a wrong approach that has not worked over the past 16 years, and the government should instead create a competitive, enabling market atmosphere.
Who is responsible for plastic use
Mandate supporters
Mill owners such as Mostaq Ahmed say the government cannot ensure a steady supply of jute sacks but still fines them, which is not fair.
Mandate critics
The Department of Jute says users must switch to jute or demand will fall and farmers will be hurt, and it cannot force private mills to produce jute sacks without adequate demand.
State-owned jute mill closures
Mandate supporters
Textiles and Jute Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir says the 2020 shutdown of 25 mills was followed by leasing 14 to the private sector, with nine producing and hopes of restarting the mills by December 2026.
Mandate critics
M Wais Kabir says state-owned factories were inefficient and mired in misuse, mismanagement and corruption, which made jute bags costlier, while privatised mills can produce them at lower prices.
Key facts
- Law
- Mandatory Jute Packaging Act of 2010
- Mandated commodities
- 19 essential items including rice, wheat, fertiliser
- Jute sack price
- 80 takas (65 cents) per 50-kg sack
- Synthetic bag price
- 20 takas (16 cents) per 50-kg bag
- Jute production (2025-26)
- Over 8 million bales (1.44 million tons)
- Export earnings (2024-25)
- Over $820 million from raw jute and jute products
- Enforcement (July 2025-June 2026)
- 1,093 mobile courts; 1,399 cases filed
- Closed state-owned mills
- 25 mills shut in 2020; 14 leased to private sector; 9 back in production
Quotes
Md Hamez Uddin
Proprietor of Sakhina Rice Mill
“A 50-kilogram [110-pound] capacity synthetic/plastic bag costs 20 takas, while a jute sack costs 80 takas. A synthetic/poly bag cannot be reused; it is for one-time use. On the other hand, we can use the same jute sack at least three times for carrying paddy or rice and then mend it, if torn, and use it three more times for carrying rice bran.”
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“Sakhina Rice Mill has encouraged others to prefer jute sacks to plastic and synthetic fibers.”
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Sources
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