ABSTRACT
Jute belongs to the genus Corchorus, family Tiliaceae. Corchorus capsularis L. and C. olitorius L.—these two species of Corchorus are grown commercially. The chemical compositions of olitorius and capsularis jute are very similar (Kundu et al., 1959; Majumder et al., 1980; Ghose and Ganguly, 1996). Generally, jute plants grow to about 2.5-3.5 m in height. Jute ber runs in the form of a lacework sheath along the length of the stem. In South Asia, the major jute-producing countries are Bangladesh, India, China, and Thailand. Over 90% of the world’s raw jute and allied ber is exported by Bangladesh. In terms of usage, global consumption, production, and availability, it is the second most important vegetable ber after cotton. It is one of the cheapest and the strongest of all natural bers (Kundu et al., 1959). Jute ber has traditionally been used for the manufacturing of sacks, Hessian cloth, carpet and twines, ropes, and cords. Automotive, construction, and packaging industries are also using this ber as a reinforcing material.
