Aiming at beginning commercial marketing of Sonali Bag (golden bags), a local made shopping bag made by jute, before July next year, the Textile and Jute Ministry has already completed amendment of the Development Project Proforma (DPP) in accordance with the directive of the Planning Commission.

According to the ministry officials, the amended DPP of Tk 100 crore project would be sent to the Planning Commission by next week for placing before the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting to be held with Chief Adviser Prof. Dr. Muhammad in the chair.

Earlier, the Planning Commission sent the DPP back to the ministry with some observations for amending it further before placing in the ECNEC meeting.

In 2016, scientist Dr. Mubarak Ahmad Khan, a retired teacher of Jahangirnagar University, invented an eco-friendly golden bag by extracting fine cellulose from jute fiber and mixing it with chemicals at a specific temperature.

In 2017, a project to manufacture golden bags was taken up within Latif Bawani Jute Mills Limited under the control of BJMC. The production of golden bags is going on in a limited scale at the Government Latif Bawani Jute Mill on the banks of Shitalakshya River in Demra, Dhaka. This eco-friendly bag looks like regular polythene but is biodegradable.

Eight years after the invention, production of jute golden bags, an alternative to polythene, is gaining momentum. The government has given Tk 100 crore to increase production of the eco-friendly bags with a new factory, which will be built at Demra's Latif Bawani Jute Company, with a target of daily production of 1 million gold bags.

When contacted, Textile and Jute Secretary Md. Abdur Rauf told this correspondent on last Thursday that the project of Tk 100 crore was taken with 100 percent government fund for procurement of machineries and other necessary equipments. It was sent to the Planning Commission for placing in the ECNEC.

But, the Planning Commission sent it back with some observations. The ministry has already completed its works. Hope, the DPP would be resent to the Planning Commission again by next week. Once, the ECNEC approved the proposal, the implementing authority – Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) – will start procurement of the machineries, he added.

Abdur Rauf said that the ministry and BJMC officials have already contacted with the machineries production companies in Japan, Germany, and China. They have agreed to produce and supply the machineries similar to the model developed by Dr. Mubarak Ahmad Khan.

In response to a query, the secretary said that price of machineries has not yet finalized. After getting approval of the ECNEC, the machineries would be procured following the due procedures of the country. the authority will accept the proposal which would be profitable for along with ensuring the standard.

“It may take some times to complete the procedures and start production by setting a new factory. Hope, the commercial production would be started before July next year,” he said, adding, “If the production of golden bags found profitable, production of the bags would also be opened for other entrepreneurs.”

Mubarak Ahmed, the artisan scientist of Sonali Bag, recently told media that the money will be available under the ‘pre-commercialization of Sonali Bag’ project in July. After this, the work of setting up the factory will begin.

Dr. Mubarak Ahmad Khan said, “What we have discovered from Bangladesh is with the material of this country. It will take some time to fully implement it in the global market. Golden Bag is recognized in about 158 countries. We have invented; it is the government's responsibility to market it.”

At present only six workers including two scientists are working in the factory. Despite the ability to make 60 pieces of bags per minute, due to various limitations, only 250 pieces of bags are being produced daily in this factory, which are being exported to various countries in Europe, America and Africa.

Although there is a possibility, no private company has come forward in the commercial production of golden bags in the last 8 years. Finally, the government has come forward to increase the use of golden bags in the country. A project of Tk 100 crore has been taken for the production of this eco-friendly bag.

In a recent meeting with Dr. Mubarak Ahmad Khan, former adviser to Textiles and Jute M Sakhawat Hossain expressed optimism that the Golden Bags will contribute to bring back the golden age of jute.

He said, “Golden bags are in great demand as they are eco-friendly. It will be able to meet domestic demand as well as global packaging needs. Golden bags made of jute will contribute to bringing back the golden age of jute.”