The Government under the Jute Packaging Materials (Compulsory use in Packing Commodities) Act, 1987 specifies the commodities and the extent to which they are mandatorily packed in Jute Packaging Materials. For the current jute year 2020-21, 100% of the foodgrains and 20% of sugar are required to be mandatorily packed in jute bags. The total purchase of jute bags under this mechanism constitutes 70.16% of the total jute goods production. This provision was aimed at enabling the jute industry to receive steady orders and thus assisting the jute mills to keep up and running throughout the year.
Around 1.7 lakh workers are directly employed in the jute mills while around 2.00 lakhs are associated with allied sector and tertiary activities. The Government has protected the livelihood of the workers by ensuring that the jute mills have more than sufficient orders for supply of jute bags throughout the year. The Government through National Jute Board (NJB) has worked for the development of jute sector by implementing a number of schemes which are:
-
- Jute-ICARE (Improved Cultivation and Advanced Retting Exercise) programme for increasing the productivity and quality of jute.
- Incentive Scheme for Acquisition of Plants and Machinery (ISAPM) for facilitating modernization and up-gradation of technology in existing/ new jute mills and JDP units.
- Jute Integrated Development (JID) Scheme to provide basic, advance and design trainings and training cum production centre.
iv Jute Raw Material Bank (JRMB) Scheme to supply jute raw materials to MSME units and artisans engaged in production of jute diversified products at mill gate price.
v Export Market Development Assistance (EMDA) Scheme to facilitate registered jute exporters for participation in foreign fairs/ BSMs.
vi Scholarship Scheme for the girl children of the workers of jute mills, JDP-MSMEs.
vii Usage of Jute Geo Textiles for slope stabilization, rain water harvesting tanks and construction of roads.