French Jute and Natural Fiber Delegation for Partnership Mission in India and Bangladesh

NEW DELHI, September 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Under the impetus of the Embassy of France in India, Business France - The French Trade & Investment Commission is organizing a mission in Jute and Natural Fiber in Bangladesh and in India, with the support of the Directorate General for Enterprise (DGE). The delegation will travel to Dhaka from 23rd - 25th September and will visit Kolkata from 25th - 28th September. Eight French companies and universities led by the French cluster of Industry & Agro-Resources (IAR) will be a part of this delegation and will be meeting various government organizations, factories and companies.

The delegation will be meeting the Minister of Jute in Bangladesh, Emaz Uddin Pramanik along with H.E Mrs Marie-Annick BOURDIN, Ambassador of France to Bangladesh. They will also be interacting with various associations, federations, universities, institutes and Bangladeshi companies during the seminar on 24th September at the Aga Khan Foundation, Dhaka. Apart from this, visits to jute mills are also organized in Bangladesh.

Similarly, in India, the delegation will be meeting the various institutes and government organisations like the University of Kolkata, *Nirjaft, Meghalaya Government along with various Indian companies. A presentation of the Project Ramie initiated by the French Institute in India (IFI), the Meghalaya Government and Mr. Hemant Sagar will also be delivered during the seminar on 26th September at the Gateway Hotel Taj EM Bypass in Kolkata. Apart from this, visits to a jute mill and Nirjaft are also organized in Kolkata.

India is the world leader of raw jute and jute products whereas Bangladesh is the major exporter of jute products. With the increasing demand for natural fiber, export of jute and natural fiber from Bangladesh and India has huge potential. Through this mission, Business France and the participating French companies, aim to lay emphasis on modernization of the jute and natural fiber sector.

"This mission is the first-of-its-kind in South Asia and Business France's team together with its partners in France, Bangladesh and in India have worked hard since the beginning of the year to bring together all major stakeholders of the jute sector in order to develop partnerships in all fields. Opportunities are numerous and France wishes to position itself as a strong partner of Bangladesh & India in this field." says Sophie Clavelier, Director Business France, South Asia.

*ICAR-National Institute of Research on Jute and Allied Fibre Technology is a premier institute under Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi dedicated to the cause of jute and allied fibres leading to the diversified use and industrial growth. The institute has flourished with multifarious disciplines and carved a niche as a Center of excellence on research of Jute and Allied Fibre Technology catering to entrepreneurs and industry.

French companies who will be a part of this delegation:

IAR
IAR, the French Bioeconomy Cluster helps its 360 members to innovate allowing the creation of new products and processes to add value to biomass. Food, feed, energetic and industrial applications are some of the main topics addressed by IAR Cluster.
http://www.iar-pole.com

CentraleSupelec
LGPM is a research department focused on the promising field of bioeconomy, namely bio-processes and biosourced materials. Their pluridisciplinary skills permit the application of basic knowledge to biosourced materials, optimisation and intensification of processes and bio-processes. Their skills in upscaling and multiscale modelling together with a full set of laboratory and pre-industrial pilots allows them to have strong collaborations with industry.
http://www.lgpm.ecp.fr/lgpm

Cetelor
The CETELOR (Université de Lorraine) is a laboratory linked to the University and dedicated to research and development.
http://cetelor.univ-lorraine.fr.

Depestele 
Europe's leading private flax producer, the Depestele Group operates approximately 10000 ha of plains in Normandy and values the entire straw by obtaining various products: long fiber, short fiber, shives and seeds. An integrated processing unit allows it to produce rovings and woven reinforcements using 'engineering technical fibres' grown following a dedicated culture.
http://www.groupedepestele.com

ENIT 
Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Tarbes (ENIT) is a French Engineering School founded in 1962 in Tarbes, with about 1200 students. ENIT has built its identity over the years to become a well-recognized centre in Training/Research/Development in mechanical engineering and manufacturing. ENIT has been involved in several European projects such as the FP7 Cleansky program or transnational (France, Spain, Portugal) Interreg projects (SUDOE and POCTEFA). The researchers are supported at the administrative and financial levels by a dedicated Officer, especially for European or international projects.
http://www.enit.fr

Eco-Technilin 
EcoTechnilin is a global leader in the manufacturing of natural fibre reinforcements for various composites end-markets including automotive and sporting goods industries.
http://www.ecotechnilin.com

F-R-D (Fibres Recherche Développement)
Fibres Recherche Développement (FRD) is a research and innovation company: Dedicated to the promotion of natural fibres for use in materials (insulation, concrete, composites, etc.). Established in 2008 by 11 shareholders, either producers of natural fibres (flax, hemp, miscanthus, linseed flax, and wood) or actively working to promote bioresources (ARD, Sofiprotéol). Working within the 'Industries et Agro-Ressources' competitiveness cluster (Picardy and Champagne-Ardenne).
http://www.f-r-d.fr

Geochanvre
Géochanvre is an industrial geotextile producer for agriculture application. The patented developed technology is known in the textile industry in general but no application could result due to the binding properties of plant fibers. The resulting product is a geotextile which has similar mechanical characteristics or superior to those of known geotextiles, at lower cost.
http://www.geochanvre.fr

Jute Lab 
The Jute Lab is dedicated to demonstrate and promote high value added applications of jute fibre, notably within the field of composite materials for the automotive sector, with the purpose of helping the jute industry in West Bengal and Bangladesh meet with quality economic and social development. We have already prototyped several proves of concept and helped manufacture small series in different fields of applications like ships, sports and leisure goods, furniture pieces. Since 2017 we are working on a car demonstrator of jute fibre reinforced composite solutions as well as on the following industrial development with technical partners in France, India and Bangladesh, in order to aim at the local automotive sector.
http://www.jute-lab.org 
http://www.goldofbengal.com

About DGE: 

Under the authority of the Minister for the Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs, the DGE is tasked with developing and implementing government policy for industry, the digital economy, tourism, commerce, craft industries and trades and services. The DGE's 1,300 members of staff work nationally and regionally in our network of DIRECCTE to promote business start-ups, growth, innovation and competitiveness for companies of all sizes in France and abroad.

The DGE works in close partnership with businesses and business representatives including trade organizations and federations, chambers of commerce, industry and trade and support networks. Combined with the DGE's knowledge, these partnerships make it possible to perform joint assessments before introducing the appropriate government policy.

More information on: http://www.entreprises.gouv.fr

About Business France: 

Business France is the national agency supporting the international development of the French economy, responsible for fostering export growth by French businesses, as well as promoting and facilitating international investment in France. It promotes France's companies, business image and nationwide attractiveness as an investment location, and runs the V.I.E international internship program. Business France has 1,500 personnel, both in France and in 70 countries throughout the world, who work with a network of public and private-sector partners. For further information, please visit: http://www.businessfrance.fr and youbuyfrance.com.in .  

Press contact:
Ms. Purva Marwaha
Business France
French Trade & Investment Commission in India
Trade Officer
Tel: +91-11-4319-6306
[email protected]

Sector specialists contacts:
New Delhi
Mr. Aurélien SOSTAPONTI
Head of Department
Industries & Cleantech Department
[email protected]
+ 91-11-4313-6355

Mumbai
Mr. Kushal SENGUPTA
Trade Advisor
Industries & Cleantech Department
[email protected]
+91-22-6669-4027