Ministry of Textiles and Jute
Profile
- Head
- Md. Shariful Alam
- Role
- State Minister
- Annual budget
- —
- Staff
- —
- Established
- 1984
- Legal basis
- Rules of Business 1996; Textile and Jute Ministry unified by Presidential Ordinance of 6 May 2004 (merging previously separate Textile and Jute portfolios)
Driving privatisation of ~50 closed state-owned textile and jute mills via PPP/long-term lease; discouraging raw jute exports in favour of processed products; under pressure from BTMA over expiring export cash incentives and gas shortages hitting spinning mills.
Recent activity
- 2026-02-17 appointment Md. Shariful Alam (BNP, Kishoreganj-6) sworn in as State Minister with combined portfolio of Commerce, Industries, and Textiles and Jute under PM Tarique Rahman's cabinet. ↗↗
- 2026-03-04 appointment Cabinet reshuffle reassigned Shariful Alam solely to Ministry of Textiles and Jute, stripping Commerce and Industries portfolios. ↗↗
- 2026-03-06 policy National Jute Day 2026 observed under theme 'Build Jute Industry, Create Employment'; State Minister pledged to restore Bangladesh's golden fibre heritage by improving BJRI seed research and creating jute industrial clusters. ↗↗
- 2026-03-10 policy Government confirmed nine leased jute mills resumed operations, creating employment for 7,200 workers; state minister announced shift to discouraging raw jute exports in favour of processed jute products. ↗↗
- 2026-04-12 policy State Minister Shariful Alam visited Nilphamari and stated that the long-shut Darwani Textile Mill is likely to reopen within two to three months; international tender already floated with investor interest confirmed. ↗↗
- 2026-04-20 reform Government announced plan to hand over all state-owned textile and jute mills (25 textile, 25 jute) to private sector via long-term lease or PPP; process of privatising approximately 50 closed/sick units underway. ↗↗
- 2026-04-25 statement State Minister said government is working to attract local and foreign investors to revive jute industrial zones; BJRI collaboration underway to develop high-yielding jute seeds competitive with Indian varieties. ↗↗
- 2026-05-04 policy PM Tarique Rahman chaired meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat on closed textile and jute mill revival; directed concerned authorities to ease project approval, facilitate investor loans, and take immediate steps to reopen shuttered government factories. ↗↗
- 2026-05-10 reform State Minister stated government is developing an AI-based supply chain monitoring model covering imports through retail sales of textile and jute goods to curb market manipulation. ↗
Provenance & notes
Shariful Alam was initially sworn in on 17 February 2026 with a combined portfolio (Commerce, Industries, Textiles and Jute). Following the 4 March 2026 cabinet reshuffle, he was assigned solely to Textiles and Jute -- head_since reflects this single-portfolio assignment date. Constituency: Kishoreganj-6. Party: BNP (Organising Secretary). DOB: 1 January 1975, Betiarkandin, Kuliarchar Upazila, Kishoreganj. Established_year set to 1984 (year Textile and Jute portfolio was first constituted as a standalone ministry); the two streams were merged by Presidential Ordinance on 6 May 2004 into a single MoTJ. Annual budget stored as null: Fibre2Fashion reports FY26 allocation at approximately $56 million but the precise BDT figure from the MoF budget documents was not independently retrievable at verification date. BTMA crisis context: approximately 50 textile mills shut, ~20,000 jobs lost before negotiations; BTMA suspended indefinite closure declaration after Ministry of Commerce meetings in late January 2026. Verification status: verified (2+ primary sources cross-check on all key claims including appointment date, reshuffle date, constituency, and all notable events).
Sources
- https://businessinbangladesh.com.bd/shariful-alam-takes-oath-as-state-minister-for-commerce-ministry-industry-ministry-textiles-and-jute-ministry/
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/see-who-will-become-next-ministers-state-ministers-1363801
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/government-affairs/404681/portfolios-of-8-state-ministers-reshuffled-duties
- https://www.newagebd.net/print/post/292971
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Md._Shariful_Alam
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Textiles_and_Jute
- https://en.bonikbarta.com/bangladesh/utOvhyGJakQba48F
- https://www.bssnews.net/news/366113
- https://www.bssnews.net/news/366424
- https://www.bssnews.net/news/368031
- https://www.bssnews.net/news-flash/379951
- https://www.bssnews.net/news/377315
- https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/nilphamari-textile-mill-likely-reopen-within-3-months-state-minister-1410966
- https://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/bangladesh-to-hand-over-all-govt-textile-jute-mills-to-private-sector-310117-newsdetails.htm
- https://textileinsights.in/bangladesh-plans-revival-of-closed-textile-and-jute-mills/
- https://banglamirrornews.com/2026/05/04/204569/
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/government-affairs/409307/pm-holds-meeting-on-reopening-closed-factories
- https://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/bangladesh-allocates-56-mn-for-jute-textile-ministry-in-fy26-budget-303043-newsdetails.htm
- https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/industry/btma-announces-closure-all-textile-mills-1-feb-1340961
- https://apparelresources.com/business-news/trade-business-news/btma-seeks-3-year-extension-export-cash-incentives-amidst-mounting-pressures/
- https://businessinbangladesh.com.bd/emphasis-on-product-diversification-and-innovation-for-sustainable-transformation-of-textile-sector-textile-and-jute-minister/
- https://tob.news/govt-moves-to-revive-closed-jute-textile-mills-shariful-alam/
- https://motj.gov.bd/