Textiles and Jute Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui said that two more state-owned jute mills had begun operating since the government assumed power, although the mills were still losing money due to rampant inefficiencies. The government is paying out Tk 7,000 crore to Tk 8,000 crore every year because state-owned mills do not run efficiently; whereas private mills are operating at a profit.

Siddiqui said few workers had been hired in the sector since 1980, which had led to chronic manpower shortages at state-owned jute, textile and cotton-yarn spinning mills.  There were now 14 state-owned jute mills operating in the country, and Tk 100 crore of salary arrears owed to employees in state-owned concerns had now been paid, out of a total Tk 600 crore arrears. The remainder will be paid soon, and cases involving disabled and deceased workers will be treated as a priority.

World Bank country director Xian Zhu has suggested Bangladesh to consolidate jute production in the more efficient mills and create a market-responsive and cost-competitive industry. This measure should be complemented with good corporate governance within the BJMC mills to ensure that both public and private mills can compete on equal footing is the need of the times.