Commonly known as jute, Corchorus capsularis is a tropical plant from which the fiber is extracted

JUTE

Commonly known as jute, Corchorus capsularis is a tropical plant from which the fiber is extracted. Together with cotton, they are the two most commonly natural fiber worldwide used. Jute is also the name of the textile fibers extracted from another similar plant, Corchorus olitorius.

Several species can be exploited to produce it, but the mainly used are the Corchorus capsularis and Corchorus olitorius. Jute is a herbaceous plant, it attains a height of approximately 3-4 m and has a thickness of about 2 cm diameter. The leaves are petiolate, triangular blade of about 15 cm long and 5 cm wide, they are small and yellow. Jute fiber is extracted from the phloem vessels of the plant, which is located under the main stem.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS

A series of conditions are necessary for jute cultivation: it requires a warm and humid climate. The land should be alluvial or sandy clay. It is also necessary heavy rain during the growth phase, where average rainfall reaches about 75-100 mm.

Seeds are usually sown between March and June. First of all, the land must be plowed and fertilized. Seeding is done directly with spaces of 15 cm between seeds. The seeds will germinate within 2 or 3 days, but it is after 3 or 4 months when the plant flowers, and a month after flowering and before the fruits ripen, it is when the stem is cut at soil level.

Once cut, the plants are tied into bundles and then dried to remove the leaves and branches. The following process is to soak the bundles. During this process, the woody parts are separated from the jute fibers at a temperature of about 30 degrees. It usually takes about 3 weeks, this process must be successful, otherwise, the fiber will be sticky, difficult to spin and with low brightness. Jute fibers are between 1 and 4 m long and yellowish-white color, yellow or brown. After drying the fibers, they are folded in half and compressed into bales to be ready for sale.

Only 6% of the entire plants weight is really jute fiber. We can say that it is a large production process that requires an intensive labor as the fiber extraction is totally done manually.