For allowing 100 % use of jute bags in food grain packaging

statesman news service

Kolkata, 10 December

The state government wrote a letter to the Union commerce, industry and textile minister, Mr Anand Sharma, for allowing 100 per cent use of jute bags for food grain packaging.

Mr Partha Chatterjee, state commerce and industry minister said that from 100 per cent, the use of jute bags for packaging food grains and things like sugar, has been brought down to 20 per cent. This is affecting the jute farmers of West Bengal. “The Centre should immediately prepare a jute policy for the benefit of the jute cultivators,” he said.

A resolution was adopted at the Assembly against the decision of the Union government to decrease the use of jute bags and Left Front MLAs supported the government for adopting the resolution.

SUCI MLA, Mr Tarun Kanti Naskar, said the state-run agencies also reduced the jute bags purchase. He said the Centre has imposed the huge export duty on jute and Jute Corporation of India is purchasing jute from middlemen instead of directly buying jute from farmers.

Mr Anisur Rahaman, CPI-M MLA, said jute is a valuable crop and it has foreign markets but the jute farmers are not earning profit. He said the Centre should increase the rate of minimum support price (MSP). He said around three crore farmers and their family members were affected with the decision of the Centre for reducing the rate of jute bag usage for packaging of food grains and sugar.