Centre willing to procure jute, cotton crop if prices fall below MSP: Goyal

The government is willing to procure the harvest of jute and cotton from farmers if the market price is lower than the Minimum Support Price (MSP), Union Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday.

The minister further said that the Centre is working towards increasing the production of jute and cotton and is willing to provide quality seeds and fertilisers for quality produce to fulfil the vision of farm to foreign exports.

The Union Minister for Textiles, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Commerce & Industry made the remarks during his interaction with beneficiaries of the Textile Sector here as he also urged them to be vocal for local.

"Be vocal for local and take local to global. That's the clarion call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to showcase our products on the world stage", Goyal said.

The minister further noted that ramping up textile production in the country will spur income, open up employment opportunities and play a vital role in making the country 'Atmanirbhar' as well.

He urged the artisans to register their businesses on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM). Goyal also said he has instructed GeM to register all artisans and weavers connected with handicraft and handloom without any registration fee.

"Registering on the e-marketplace will boost the visibility of artisans and help promote businesses enhancing their income," said Goyal.

He further said that the government would try to facilitate the GeM-registered businesses to be on-boarded on major e-commerce websites in the country and push for registering their businesses on foreign websites prioritising handicraft and handloom.

The minister noted that the support of the officials to the handicraft and handloom businesses, especially small enterprises, would help them create an identity through their craft on the GeM website, the Textiles Ministry stated.

With a special emphasis on promoting the 'Made in India' initiative, Goyal urged the officials to devise ways for the handicraft beneficiaries to gain from the 'Handmade in India' label and register greater income on their products.

The Minister noted that businesses selling machine-made products under the 'Handmade in India' label should be penalised and said that the government would take firm action to protect the handicraft and handloom sectors.

"Goyal said that the government is willing to procure the harvest of jute and cotton farmers if the market price is lower than the Minimum Support Price," the official statement by Textiles Ministry said.

He urged the textile sector to collectively work towards technological innovation that would ease the lives of the artisans and weavers and provide an impetus to their income.

Stressing on the need to redefine and present the handicraft and handloom at the world stage, the Minister said that the industry should work towards improving the quality and packaging of the textile products to increase the brand value and income of the artisans and weavers.

He also said that with the convergence of schemes like PM-Suryoday Yojana (free solar-powered rooftop scheme), Samarth schemes and benefits from textile schemes would help the artisans benefit their businesses and transform their income.