Jute

A cheap, strong bast fibre from the Bengal delta, spun into sacking and twine, and now marketed as a plastic substitute.

Fibres & forest · No. 107

• Not on a critical list
• HHI 4,648 · highly concentrated

Almost all the world's jute grows in one river delta, and the fibre is freed by rotting stalks in ponds.

Chart: Illustration: Jute

Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Jute grows in the wet floodplains of the Ganges and Brahmaputra. Stalks are steeped in ponds for weeks, a process called retting, to free the fibre. Output was 3.70 Mt in 2024.

Three things to know

1. Bangladesh and India grew 94.5% of the world's raw jute in 2024, an HHI of 4,648.
2. India's rules requiring grain and sugar to be packed in jute bags guarantee demand for the fibre.
3. In 1974 Bangladesh received US food credits only after agreeing to stop jute exports to Cuba.

The journey

1. 1 Delta fieldsSown before the monsoon in Bengal
2. 2 CuttingStalks cut and bundled months later
3. 3 RettingSoaked for weeks to loosen fibre
4. 4 StrippingFibre stripped, washed and sun-dried
5. 5 GradingGraded and baled as raw jute
6. 6 MillsSpun and woven into sacking

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