Giriraj Singh Assesses Raw Jute Prices, Measures Announced to Boost Availability

 Giriraj Singh reviewed the issue of high prices of raw jute in a meeting held with the Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Neelam Shami Rao, senior officials of the Ministry and the Office of the Jute Commissioner.

He emphasised the need to ensure adequate availability of raw jute for jute mills and MSMEs to enable smooth industry operations. To this end, it was decided to enhance the stock limits for raw jute for jute mills, while lowering the permissible stock limits for traders and balers. These measures are intended to improve raw jute availability for mills and MSMEs and to safeguard the interests of jute workers and farmers. The Government will issue a notification in this regard shortly.

The Union Minister Giriraj Singh also directed that the ongoing dehoarding drive by the Office of the Jute Commissioner will be further intensified to detect and act against hoarding beyond permissible stock limits. The current drive has already identified some traders and balers violating the norms.

To help the industry manage higher raw jute prices, the Government of India has increased the purchase prices of B. Twill jute bags from time to time. The prices were raised from ₹58–60 per bag in September 2024 to ₹74 per bag in September 2025, and further to ₹87.20 per bag in January 2026. These measures reflect the Government’s commitment to safeguarding the interests of jute farmers and workers, around 80 per cent of whom are based in West Bengal.

He further directed that the quantity of subsidised certified jute seeds will be increased under the Jute ICARE Scheme of the National Jute Board. This will help improve productivity and quality of jute, enhance farmers’ income, and ensure greater availability of raw jute for mills.

The Government of India continues to support the infrastructure and operations of the Jute Corporation of India Limited (JCI) for the effective implementation of Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations. As a Central Government agency, JCI ensures procurement of raw jute from farmers whenever market prices fall below the MSP.

During 2023–24, JCI recorded a Profit After Tax (PAT) of ₹46.12 crore and paid a dividend of ₹13.83 crore. In FY 2024–25, the Corporation’s PAT rose to ₹56.82 crore, resulting in the payment of an all-time high dividend of ₹17.04 crore to its sole shareholder, the Government of India.