Dhaka, March 6 (IANS): As part of its continued efforts to revive the golden era of jute, the Bangladeshi government on Monday observed "National Jute Day" for the first time in the country.

The slogan of the day is "Golden fiber, golden country, jute goods of Bangladesh", Xinhua news agency reported.

The day was inaugurated with a colourful rally here attended by Bangladeshi Minister for Textile and Jute Imaj Uddin Pramanik and State Minister Mirza Azam.

Various events including decoration of important places here with lights and festoons, rally, cultural programmes, boat rally and displaying of diversified jute goods have also been arranged.

Azam said the day would be observed through various activities to boost domestic use of the golden fiber.

A three-day fair of jute goods will be held at Bangabandhu International Convention Centre here on March 6-8, he said.

He said Bangladesh would become a middle-income country by 2021 through expansion of export markets of jute and its goods and creation of more jobs in the sector from which the country in the 2015-16 fiscal year earned $919.58 million.

Export from jute and its goods in the last fiscal year grew 11.52 per cent.

The Bangladeshi government in January made the use of jute bags mandatory for 11 more products to boost domestic use of the golden fiber after the imposition of anti-dumping duty on jute goods imported from Bangladesh by India.

The government has made the use of jute bags compulsory in the preservation and transporting of 20 kg or more of commodities like onion, ginger, garlic, pulses, potato, flour, chilli, turmeric, coriander seeds and husks of rice and wheat.

In a similar order, the Bangladeshi government has made use of jute bags mandatory for six products -- paddy, rice, wheat, corn, fertilizer and sugar.

India on January 5 imposed anti-dumping duty ranging from $6.30 to $351.72 per tonne on imports of jute and its products from Bangladesh and Nepal to protect domestic industry.