This eco-friendly fibre, known as the golden fibre, is used to create a variety of décor products. The village women also get a source of livelihood as they are involved in all stages of the process – from getting the raw material off the plant to the actual creation of the products. The main jute items sold in the city are bags, mats, coasters, sculptures, jewellery, home decoration items, shoes, dolls etc. Jute has been used as a weaving fibre since ancient times in Asia and Africa. The British East India Company was the first trader of jute in the 19th century, and established the first mill at Rishra, on the banks of the Hooghly river, near Kolkata in 1855. By the year 1869, they were operating five mills with about 890 looms. After the fall of the British in India, the mills were taken over by Indian businessmen. Today, the country trades heavily in jute, with West Bengal being the largest producer.

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