Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) – Thailand is going to import jute bags from Bangladesh for the purpose of packaging rice, officials said.

The state-owned Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) has already received an export order of 4.0 million pieces of jute bags from Thailand, a senior official of the BJMC said, adding that the export volume of jute bags to that country will increase gradually in the near future.

Thailand is one of the leading global rice exporting countries and its government has recently announced steps to remove poly or plastic materials considering their negative impact on the environment.

Thailand mainly imports jute bags from India at a competitive rate, as India has a free trade agreement with that the East Asian country. But Bangladesh has no such agreement with Thailand, they added.

The global market of jute-made bags will be of 500 billion pieces, equivalent to seven million tones of jute products, in the coming days as actions are going on to remove poly or plastic materials from all over the globe, considering their negative impact on the environment, according to exporters.

BBN/SSR/AD-21Jan12-1:30 pm (BST)