Dive summary:

• Jute, a natural plant fiber that had been shown to work well as a reinforcing element in cement for concrete and mortar, has an added benefit, researchers reported – it slows hardening.
• Inhibiting hardening can be an advantage when the materials have to travel long distances to reach job sites, according to the research published in "Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research," a publication of the American Chemical Society.
• The researchers had established that jute fibers work as well as steel or synthetic fibers in strengthening concrete and helping it resist cracking.

From the article:

The new study discovered another advantage of jute, which is second only to cotton as the most widely used natural fiber. ...