The mandatory norms provide for full reservation for packaging of food grains and 20 per cent reservation for packaging of sugar in jute bags.

The jute industry occupies an important place in the national economy of India, particularly in West Bengal, where it supports 40 lakh farm families in the jute sector. The decision will also help the jute sector in Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, the ministry of textiles said in a press release.

Indian government has approved mandatory reservation norms for the use of jute in packaging of rice, wheat, and sugar for the jute year 2022-23, according to the country’s ministry of textiles. This move is set to provide a significant boost for the jute industry in West Bengal, where nearly 75 jute mills operate and provide livelihood to lakhs of workmen.

The mandatory packaging norms would further the interest of domestic production of raw jute and jute packaging material in India, thereby making India self-reliant in consonance with Aatmanirbhar Bharat. It will also help protect the environment because jute is a natural, bio-degradable, renewable, and reusable fibre and hence fulfils all sustainability parameters.

The reservations norms under Jute Packaging Materials (JPM) Act, 1987 provide for direct employment to 3.70 lakh workers and protect the interest of approximately 40 lakh farm families in the jute sector. The JPM Act, 1987 protects the interest of jute farmers, workers, and persons engaged in jute goods’ production.

The country’s 75 per cent of the total production of the jute industry is jute sacking bags, of which 85 per cent is supplied to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state procurement agencies (SPAs), and remaining is exported/sold directly. The government purchases jute sacking bags worth approximately ₹9,000 crore every year for packing of food grains, ensuring a guaranteed market for the produce of jute farmers and workers.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP)