Exports of jute products from India is expected to reach Rs. 28 billion in value during the 2013-14 fiscal year, owing to the increasing demand for jute from the West, said Beela Rajesh, executive director, Handloom Export Promotion Council of the Ministry of Textiles.

 

Ms. Rajesh who was speaking at speaking at a buyer-seller meet organized by the National Jute Board in association with Federation of Indian Export Organizations, said the global jute import market, which went through a lean period from 2011 to the mid-2012 is picking up again as top markets in the US and Europe restarted buying, reports The Hindu Business Line.

 

Growing acceptance of jute bags as a personal accessory, and shopping bags made of the fibre for its eco-friendly nature, are brightening its prospects in the West, and demand for floor coverings, wall hangings, gunny bags, and gift articles made from jute are also increasing, she added.

 

At the buyer-seller meet, Ms. Rajesh said that jute was originally never used for purposes beyond covering floors, but with treatment and printing is now as good as a fabric.

 

T Ayyapan, market promotion officer, National Jute Board, said that during the meet, manufacturers of jute products from Southern India, displayed products like wall hangings that were treated to soften the texture of the fibre.

 

According to the National Jute Board official, this kind of technique used while manufacturing jute goods would find demand in Western markets.

 

As per the RBI data, during the first half of 2013-14, exports of jute and jute products from the country totaled to US$ 181.8 million (approx. Rs. 11 billion).