Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber, golden or silvery in color, which can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is one of the most affordable natural fibers and presently is the 2nd most important. Worldwide jute fabrics are often named as hessian and the sacks as gunny bags whereas in North America jute fabric is commonly known as burlap.
World's finest and best quality jute grows in different regions of Bangladesh due to presence of favorable natural climatic conditions and alluvial soil. So far, about 40 species of jute have been found, out of which only two species have got its main real commercial value as well as industrial use.
The two most common types are white jute and tossa jute White jute was traditionally used to make ropes and twines and also a low cost, low quality, fabric for clothes of the poor in the regions where it was produced. Tossa jute fiber is softer, silkier, and stronger than white jute. The third type is known as Mesta which is the natural substitute of jute. Currently, Bangladesh is the largest global producers of the tossa jute variety.
