Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the crisis impacting the jute sector, which is affecting hundreds of thousands of farmers, mill workers, and other stakeholders.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Ray pointed out that raw jute prices have dropped below the Minimum Support Price (MSP), leading to financial hardship for farmers.
According to the news report by PTI, Ray mentioned that reasons include the inadequacy of government procurement of B Twill bags—a variety of sacks, the non-compliance by the sugar industry to mandatory jute packaging norms, and lack of attention by the Ministry of Textiles. He urged Modi to address these issues to protect the interests of various stakeholders in the jute sector.
“An estimated 4 crore farmers and 3.5 lakh jute mill workers in the country, mostly in West Bengal, are dependent on the industry,” Ray stated in his letter. He stressed the need for timely intervention, noting that it is crucial to stabilise the market, secure livelihoods, and maintain the operational capacity of jute mills.
Ray warned that the welfare of thousands of jute mill workers and farmers and the integrity and stability of the jute industry depend on the Prime Minister’s prompt action.
The Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) has also highlighted several pressing issues at Tuesday’s 32nd Standing Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting in New Delhi.
The Government is continuously directing sugar mills to comply with mandatory packaging of 20 per cent of the total production of sugar.
Sugar millers had previously urged the government to completely exempt sugar from the compulsory packaging in jute bags required by the Jute Packaging Materials Act of 1987. They claim that this requirement could lead to increased costs and operational challenges.
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