Question

Who among the following countries is the biggest competitor of India in terms of jute industry?
A) Thailand
B) Brazil
C) Philippines
D) Bangladesh

Answer 1

Hint:
 India, China, and Bangladesh are the three major producers in the cultivation or production of jute fibre. India has taken advantage of recent improvements within the cultivation of jute to become the most important producer or cultivator of jute within the world. But the case is not the same in case of exporting jute.

Complete answer:

Indian jute Industry
The jute trade is centered mainly around India and therefore the Indian State of West Bengal . The major producing country of jute is India, thanks to its natural fertile soil. The seven states where jute is cultivated are West Bengal , Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh. Jute is generally cultivated as an intercrop between the 2 main agricultural seasons, kharif and rabi.

India was the largest producer of jute with over one million metric tons from the fibre in 2019. Almost 85% of the world's jute cultivation is concentrated within the Ganges delta of India alone. India is the largest producer of raw jute and jute goods, contributing to over 50 percent and 40 percent respectively of the global production.

At present, a complete 75 jute mills are functioning within the country.

Bangladesh jute Industry
In 2018, Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation recommended the Ministry of Jute and Textiles form a 100 billion taka fund, Jute Sector Development Fund, to develop the jute industry and supply low cost loans. The Jute industry exports on the brink of a billion dollars of product from Bangladesh per annum . From 2010 to 2019, the government of Bangladesh has given about 7.5 billion taka to the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation.

Bangladesh leads in jute exports, reaching 229K tonnes, which was near 79% of total exports in 2018. It was distantly followed by India (14K tonnes), creating a 4.8% share of total exports. Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) was formed to manage and look after all the 73 jute mills having 23,836 looms under the president's order.

So, although India is the largest producer of jute, it's facing a big challenge from Bangladesh in the exporting category.


Hence, the correct answer is option D.

Note:
India led the highest volumes of jute consumption in 2018 (2.1M tonnes), followed by Bangladesh (1.4M tonnes) and Pakistan (91K tonnes), with a combined 90% share of global consumption.