“Golden Fiber” of Bangladesh

 One of the major agricultural products here is jute, a fiber used in textiles and for making ropes and such. It is sort of similar to hemp, but jute is not a form of Cannabis and is thus much more palatable to the law enforcement types. Jute was Bangladesh’s main export during World War II, but exports decreased dramatically when jute was replaced by synthetic fibers such as nylon. My good friend wikipedia contributes the following:.


.Jute was once the economic engine of the country. Its share of the world export market peaked in the Second World War and the late 1940s at 80%[44] and even in the early 1970s accounted for 70% of its export earnings. However, polypropylene products began to substitute for jute products worldwide and the jute industry started to decline.


 In recent years jute has come back into favor because it is a tough fiber, widely available, and bio-degradable. The price has increased over 100% and the Bangladeshi market is recovering. Below are a few shots of jute in the villages:
I may be wrong, but I’m pretty sure this is a jute field.


Jute out to dry. The soft, stringy part is the outside fibers of the plant, and is the part used for textiles etc. The sticks on the left are the inside of the plant.More of the jute sticks (stalks?) out to dry. Pretty, no? This must be why it’s called the “Golden Fiber” of Bangladesh. These can be woven together to make wall or floor mats, or I was also told they can be processed into a sort of lumber – I imagine it would be end up like particleboard.