ECA Career Expo 2020: Case Competition

The Background:
Bangladesh had a profound history of jute production. The climate and the soil is tailor-made for
growing large quantities of jute. At the inception of the twentieth century, Bengal had one of the
largest jute industry in the world. This manufacturing industry was responsible for almost half of
the employment of the industrial workforce of the then Bengal province.

In the 1920s, price of jute rose dramatically in the world market which facilitated the growth of
the jute industry in Bengal. The British colonialists formed the “Bengal Jute Inquiry Committee”
to oversee the jute industry of Bengal during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Two reports
from this committee, one in 1934 and another in 1939, advised the British Raj to restrict the
production of jute because it was starting to strongly oppose the renowned cotton industry of
Dundee.
During World War II, jute production increased in the region and by the time at the end of the
war, there were 111 jute mills in the region. As stated before, most of the mills resided in West
Bengal and most of the raw jute were produced in East Bengal. So, after the partition of India in
1947, the production of jute became difficult. For a brief period of time, there was free trade
between the newly formed states of India and Pakistan which help jute production but after India
imposed trade restrictions on Pakistan, both governments thrived for self-sufficiency. Either by
growing raw jute or by establishing new jute mills.

The most famous and largest of which is the Adamjee jute mill was established before the
liberation of the country. Most of the jute mills were owned by non-Bengalis and after the
liberation war of 1971, the newly formed Bangladeshi Government ordered “Bangladesh jute
board” to take over the mills. In 1972, the government formed the “Bangladesh Jute Mills
Corporation” (BJMC) and nationalized all the jute mills of Bangladesh.
Many of the jute mills including Adamjee Jute Mill suffered from management problems after
nationalization and there was absenteeism, issues with unions and corruption within the BJMC
which led to the ultimate downfall of the Bangladeshi jute industry.

The government did try to salvage the industry by privatizing it in 1979 and returning the mills to
their previous owners. But even after those efforts, in 2002, the Government closed down
Adamjee Jute Mill.

Despite this, the remaining jute mills are still losing making concerns for the government. By
2006, the Government of Bangladesh had shares in 78% of jute mills in Bangladesh and owns 29
mills completely. In 2010, the Government of Bangladesh made it mandatory for wholesale
manufacturers and sellers to pack rice, sugar, wheat, and fertilizers in jute bags. This requirement
was expanded to include animal feed in 2018.

In 2018, Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) recommended the Ministry of Jute and
Textiles to form a Jute Sector Development Fund, to develop the jute industry and provide low
cost loans. The Jute industry exports close to a billion dollars of product from Bangladesh every
year. On January 2018, the Government of Bangladesh imposed a ban on the export of
raw/unprocessed jute to ensure adequate supply for the local market. The export ban was lifted
in June 2019 following the demands of Bangladesh Jute Association.
The Case
Suppose, in 2020, you are a policymaker of the country and you are given a project of helping the
jute industry to rise again. Your goal is to increase production and employment with jute industry.
Build a solution plan with the timeframe of two years to revive the jute industry in Bangladesh
and suggest what steps a policymaker can take towards this goal.

Objective: Generating employment and profitability in the Jute Industry of Bangladesh

You have to address the following questions in your solution (word limit is given in brackets
beside each question)-

1. What are the core obstacles for the revival of the Jute Industry of Bangladesh? (100
words)
2. Do you think this is the right time for the revival of the Bangladeshi Jute Industry? Support
your argument with legitimate facts and logic. (150 words)
3. In your opinion, which sector will be more effective in reviving the Jute Industry of
Bangladesh? Is it the Private sector or the Public sector or a collaboration of both? Explain
your stand. (200 words)

Some parameters to follow in solving the case-

- Find out the stakeholders of the project

- Define the geographical area of your solution plan
- Show sustainability & feasibility of your plan
- Use Cost Effective Analysis/Cost Benefit Analysis/SWOT Analysis
- Use a proposed budget
- Discuss the technological aspects behind your plan
Guidelines
1. The solution of the case must be between 900-1500 words. Exceeding the word limit may
result in penalties.
2. Teams may use graphs, data and charts in their solutions for explanation.
3. All registered teams must submit their solutions of the case in a MS Word file via email at
eca.careerexpo2020@gmail.com before 15th February, 2020 (11:59 pm). All submissions
after the deadline will be automatically disqualified from the competition.
4. All registered teams who will submit their solutions will be given the opportunity to
present them on 19th February, 2020 at the event venue.
5. After the presentation, judges will select the top 10 teams as finalists and they will all
receive awards.
6. Top 3 teams will be chosen as Champion, Runner-up and 2nd Runner-up on the basis of
the most innovative and feasible ideas and will be awarded accordingly.

To participate and submit your solution, the team members need to register using the Google
form link given below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc4qLdxpQ5Qidyns2NaSqOQNyf-
i3XLHgs120huYmBveiHQJA/viewform?fbclid=IwAR2qxDWNek8h-
MajocltIn1KMicHZttRoliQwlF5QcvjUbCEfHPTP0hIh10

And submit to the mail: eca.careerexpo2020@gmail.com

(All information regarding the process of registration is in the event page)

The Event Page link is given below:

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