The traditional jute industry in the Upper East region of Ghana: Processes, products and challenges

Abstract

Jute is very important natural fibre whose production, usage and global consumption if only second to cotton. The fibre which is obtained from the corchorus of the hibiscus family is used for the production of several products globally of which ropes and cordages are chief among them. The study sort to investigate the cultivation and usage of the jute fibre in the Upper East region of Ghana. Use was made of questionnaires and interviews in gathering the data for the ethnographic study and the areas visited for the investigation includes Sumbrungu, Bolgatanga, Yikene and Kulbia in the Bolgatanga Metropolitan area as well as Navrongo, Pungu, Nayania and Vunania in the Kassena-Nankana Municipal area. In the Upper East region, the fibre is used for products such as ropes, mats for burial, door mats, and bags among others. It was revealed that the sale of products made from jute is facing a stiff completion from other products made from synthetic materials such as nylon. The study therefore recommends training of manufacturers to know how to integrate jute with other synthetic fibres to improve on the performance as well as the aesthetic appeal of the products.

Keywords: Jute, Urena lobata, Gurune, Upper East, Kassena-Nankana, Bolgatanga