Indian jute making its way - from US markets to Italy wine producers

The Indian jute industry has faced a worker shortage as educational levels rise in Bihar, UP, and Odisha, poor states where jute factories have drawn most of their labour

When shoppers in the US carry a woven reusable bag to the store, they aren’t just saving the planet. They are also reviving an industry thousands of miles away in India.

Jute, a coarse fibre used to make fabrics like burlap, has been cultivated for centuries in Ganges Delta. India’s jute factories have been in operation for more than a century, and today the country is the world’s largest producer. But in recent decades, the industry has struggled as less expensive synthetic substitutes have flooded the market. Farmers turned to other crops, cheap labour moved elsewhere and mills deteriorated from lack