Being a major player in the long history of jute trade and having finest natural fibre, Bangladesh has always had an advantage in raw jute trading. Bangladesh is still the largest producer and exporter of raw jute in the world. After the separation of Bangladesh (East Pakistan) from Pakistan in 1971, the jute trading was not limited to specific groups like India or Pakistan. After the independence of Bangladesh, most privately owned jute mills were nationalised.

Over the years water hyacinth has always been considered merely weed choking lakes and water bodies, but this free-floating natural plant has opened up a new era as raw material for export-oriented handicraft industries in Bangladesh.