Jute

Bangladesh's former textile and jute minister Golam Dastagir held in Dhaka

Bangladesh's former textile and jute minister Golam Dastagir Gazi has been arrested here as the police take stern measures against officials and ministers of the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government, according to media reports on Sunday. The 76-year-old leader was detained late Saturday night from a house in the Piergoli area of the capital Dhaka around 3 am, The Daily Star newspaper quoted Paltan police station officer-in-charge Mollah Mohammad Khalid Hussain as saying. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police detained him and brought him to the Detective Branch (DB) office, according to The Dhaka Tribune. Gazi was kept at the DB office as the police station is badly damaged following recent violence, Hussain said, adding that a group of people besieged the house after knowing his location there. However, the police officer did not provide any details regarding the case for which he was arrested. Earlier, a case of murder was filed against 105 individuals, including

Jute sector highlights key issues at standing advisory committee meeting

The Indian Jute Mills Association highlighted several pressing issues at the 32nd Standing Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting in New Delhi, including the challenges faced by the sector due to declining demand for jute bags, officials said. Key stakeholders such as representatives from the sugar and plastic industry bodies participated in the meeting on Tuesday. The SAC makes recommendations to the Union government on the mandatory use of jute packaging materials, and packaging norms for essential commodities such as foodgrains and sugar. The Jute Commissioner's Office (JCO) stressed upon the need for supporting the sector, the IJMA officials said. An estimated 40 million farmers and 3.5 lakh jute mill workers are dependent on the industry. The representatives of sugar industry bodies raised concerns about the pricing and quality of jute bags, urging the government to fix rates for sugar jute bags. "They also noted the reluctance by major buyers like some beverage giants to use jute

IJMA expresses concern over violent assaults on management personnel in WB

The Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) has written to West Bengal Labour Minister Moloy Ghatak, expressing grave concern over incidents of "violent assault on management personnel and unlawful strikes" at member mills. In the recent letter, IJMA highlighted the issue of worker indiscipline and "attempts by the management to ensure discipline and enhance productivity being repeatedly opposed by a section of workers with the help of trade union representatives". The letter said there was a violent assault on management personnel and unlawful strikes at Alliance Mills (Lessees) Ltd recently. The association stated that these incidents have "created an atmosphere of panic and uncertainty amongst the managerial and supervisory personnel of the mills," leading to a reluctance among them to attend to their duties. This has resulted in a significant decline in production and productivity in the affected jute mills. IJMA also raised concerns over incidents of vandalism that have endanger

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 ..

Jute fibre of the future, need for expanding sector, says Piyush Goyal

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday termed jute as the fibre of the future, and underscored the importance of expanding the sector and giving it the place it deserves. Goyal was speaking at the inauguration of Patsan Bhawan' at New Town, which will serve as the new base for offices of the Jute Commissioner, the headquarters of the Jute Corporation of India and the National Jute Board, an official release said. Jute is fibre of the future... we need to expand the jute sector and give it the place it deserves. India produces more than 50 per cent jute in the world, out of which over 50 per cent is produced in West Bengal, he said. The minister was also present at a meeting of jute mill owners and stakeholders, industry sources said. During the meeting, Goyal urged officials concerned to resolve long-pending pricing issues, including court cases related to jute pricing, they said. Goyal also formed an informal jute advisory group to comprehensively address issues concerning the .

Govt requests mills to stop raw jute imports on domestic oversupply

The Centre has advised mills to stop importing raw jute because of its oversupply in the domestic market and instructed jute importers to provide daily transaction reports in a prescribed format until December. The jute commissioner's office, representing the Union textile ministry, in a notice on Tuesday also recommended mills not to import jute of TD 4 to TD 8 variants (as per the old classification used in the trade) since these are adequately available within the country. "The variants make up 75 per cent of the total jute production and trade," said Sanjay Kajaria, former chairman of the Indian Jute Mills Association. The current season's production stands at 91 lakh bales, with an opening stock of 23 lakh bales and 5 lakh bales of imported raw jute, resulting in a total estimated availability of 119 lakh bales. According 2021-22 data, jute imports amounted to 62,500 tonnes valued at Rs 449 crore, while exports reached 32,000 tonnes, valued at Rs 222 crore. The jute commissio

Govt implements minimum price for raw jute following bumper production

The government on Thursday fixed the minimum price for jute following reports that farmers are facing losses due to bumper crop of the golden fibre. In a notification, the Jute Commissioner said the minimum price has been fixed at Rs 5,050 per quintal at the farm level and Rs 5,500 per quintal for deliveries in Kolkata. The move was appreciated as average raw jute prices of the most traded variety TD5 had slumped to as low as Rs 4,100 on Wednesday, market sources said. Jute Commissioner Moloy Chandra Chakraborty said that the minimum price of jute in all forms will be in force till October 31 or until further orders for any trade in raw jute. "No buyer or seller shall be entitled to transact at rates other than those specified in this order," he said. Jute farmers recently demonstrated in Nadia, Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur, North 24-Parganas, and Hooghly districts demanding better prices and a rise in the MSP for their produce. They had blocked roads and set jute bales on fire. S

Jute mills foresee 30-50% production cuts on back of low procurement plan

The jute industry is concerned over a threat of a 30-50 per cent production cut in three months till November, compared to the same period last year, because of a low demand for packaging material for foodgrains from various states, a senior official said on Tuesday. The Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) has appealed to the Centre for a revision in the sixth (revised) supply plan issued by the Food & Public Distribution department. Foodgrain producers have to use jute as a packaging material to a certain extent. "In the current jute season from September to November 2023, the actual demand indent placement is lower by 30-40 per cent. In September alone, demand indents are expected to be lower than 2.5 lakh bales against planned 3.21 lakh bales due to slow order placing by Maharashtra," IJMA Chairman Raghav Gupta told PTI. For the months of October and November, the indents are likely to be about 1.48 lakh bales against over 2 lakh bales as per the August plans, he stated. "But,

Jute industry revenue likely to dip by 5-6% on weak overseas demand: Report

Jute industry's revenue is likely to witness a decline of 5-6 per cent in this financial year due to lower exports, a report said on Wednesday. According to Crisil Ratings, this would be the second consecutive year of fall for Jute industry revenue, However, domestic demand is expected to be stable, it added. Exports, which form a third of the sector's revenue of Rs 12,000 crore, are seeing a 15 per cent dip this fiscal, after falling 8 per cent last fiscal, as overseas channel partners continue to destock amid slowdown worries in the US and Europe, Crisil Ratings said in the report. Weak overseas demand is likely to snip 5-6 per cent off revenue of the jute industry in the country this fiscal, the report added. The US and Europe are the key export markets accounting for over 60 per cent of the total jute exports from India, it noted. The end-use of jute in these markets is largely discretionary, the report added. In contrast, the report stated that the domestic demand is expecte

Jute goods exports get the sack on global slump; economies taper off buying

Major economies taper off buying despite global push for sustainable packaging material

JCI plans e-auction jute trading platform to modernise supply chain

Jute Corporation of India (JCI) on Friday said it was working on an e-auction platform in jute trading to modernise the supply chain of the environment-friendly fibre. The Corporation said it was geared up for MSP (minimum support price) operation for the upcoming jute season beginning July 1, with its extensive network spread over eight states. JCI Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Kr Jolly said they are working on the finer details and ironing out the complexities involved in the e-auction system. The platform is expected to be owned and managed by JCI. Jolly said the Corporation has 110 purchase centres operated by it and will engage about 500 extended purchase centres in association with cooperatives and NGOs in eight states. This year, the MSP for reference grade of TD3 has been raised by Rs 300 to Rs 5,050 per quintal in the 2023-24 season. In the 2022-23 jute season, the corporation has already procured 5.6 lakh quintals, which is the highest in the last five years, Joll

Cabinet on Economic Affairs approves MSP for raw jute for 2023-24 season

The MSP of raw jute (TD-3 equivalent to earlier TD-5 grade) has been fixed at Rs 5,050 per quintal for 2023-24 season

Govt approves extension of mandatory jute packaging norms: Report

The government on Wednesday approved the extension of mandatory packaging norms which provide for all foodgrains and 20 per cent sugar to be compulsorily packed in jute bags, sources said. The reservation norms for mandatory use of jute in packaging for Jute Year 2022-23 (July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023) were cleared at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The mandatory packaging norms approved for Jute Year 2022-23 provide for 100 per cent reservation of foodgrains and 20 per cent reservation of sugar to be compulsorily packed in jute bags, the sources said. The approval to these norms will provide relief to 3.7 lakh workers employed in jute mills and ancillary units as well as support the livelihood of several lakh farm families, they added. It will also help protect environment because jute is a natural, bio- degradable, renewable and reusable fibre and hence fulfils all sustainability parameters. The jute industry is significant to India's econ

India extends anti-dumping duty on jute imports from Nepal, Bangladesh

India has extended anti-dumping duty on imports of certain jute products from Nepal and Bangladesh for five years, a move aimed at protecting domestic players from cheap inbound shipments. These duties were imposed following recommendations of the commerce ministry's investigation arm Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR). The DGTR, in its probe in September last year, concluded that there is continued dumping of these products from Nepal and Bangladesh and the imports are likely to enter the Indian market at dumped prices in the event of cessation of existing duty. It had recommended continued imposition of the anti-dumping duty on the imports to remove injury to the domestic industry. According to a notification of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), the duty imposed "shall be levied for a period of five years (unless revoked, superseded or amended earlier)". The duty ranges between USD 6.3 per tonne and USD 351.72 per tonne. It is applicable to produc

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

A shimmer of hope for the golden fibre as demand for shopping bags rises

A robust export market for shopping bags has emerged, but whether it can help the ailing jute industry reduce its dependence on heavily regulated government purchases is an open question

Centre decides to lift price capping on raw jute with effect from Friday

It is expected that the cap removal Rs 6,500 per quintal will help the farmers, mills and jute MSME sector

Centre convenes meeting to discuss cap on raw jute price: Sources

Union Textile Ministry has convened a meeting on Monday to discuss price capping of raw jute, where officials of the West Bengal Labour Department, Indian Jute Mills Association industry sources said

West Bengal BJP MP Arjun Singh meets Piyush Goyal over 'jute price capping'

BJP MP from West Bengal Arjun Singh met Union minister of textiles Piyush Goyal here in the national capital to raise his concerns regarding the price capping of raw jute by the Central government.

Can't revise price for illegitimate gain of some players: Jute Commissioner

He denied allegations of neglect of West Bengal's jute industry