Canada firm keen to set up paper making industry

Kolkata, Apr 5: A Canadian firm has approached the West Bengal government for suitable land to set up a paper making industry using jute fibre and sticks, state Commerce and Industry Minister Nirupam Sen said today.

He said this while inaugurating an international workshop on jute geo-textile to discuss the potential and prospect of jute, also known as the golden fibre.

A two-day workshop on jute geo-textile began here today where experts from International Jute Study Group(IJSG), Jute Manufacturers Development Council(JMDC), Common Fund for Commodities, a funding agency of Amsterdam, Ministry of Textile, Government of India, West Bengal Government and observers from the US and Bangladesh are expected to come out with plans for popularising and marketing of jute products.

Although, Mr Sen did not name the firm which has technology for making paper out of jute sticks and fibre, he said the government was actively considering the Canadian offer.

Bengal has huge potential if jute based products are popularised as the state topped the list in jute production in the country.

Jute is grown largely in south Bengal.

Mr Sen also said he would soon visit Germany to look for potential investors and manufacturers for setting up auto-component units in and around Singur, a place where Tata Motors is expected to roll out the world's cheapest and smallest vehicle-Nano-by this year end.

He said talks were also on with a firm in Germany for setting up a petrochemical refinery unit at Haldia, Bengal's major industrial hub in Midnapore district, about 150 km west of here.

Mr Sen said the petrochemical refinery unit there would be reinstalled at Haldia, if negotations fructify.

UNI