The government Thursday approved a proposal making jute packaging mandatory for all food grains.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.
“The CCEA approved that 100 per cent of the food grains and 20 per cent of the sugar shall be mandatorily packed in diversified jute bags,” an official statement said.
The move, which expanded the scope of Jute Packaging Material (JPM) Act, 1987 retained an earlier decision that 20 per cent of the sugar shall be mandatorily packed in diversified jute bags.
Earlier, it was compulsory to pack 90 per cent of the food grains and 20 per cent of the sugar in jute bags.
“Initially, 10 per cent of the indents of jute bags for packing food grains would be placed through reverse auction on the GeM (Government e-Marketplace) portal. This will gradually usher in a regime of price discovery,” it said.
The move is significant as nearly 3.7 lakh workers and several lakh farm families are dependent for their livelihood on the jute sector.
The jute industry is predominantly dependent on the government sector, which purchases jute bags worth more than Rs 6,500 crore every year for packing food grains.
This is done in order to sustain the core demand for the jute sector and to support the livelihood of the workers and farmers dependent on the sector.
The move will benefit farmers and workers in West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura.