IJMA asks Bengal labour minister to take up raw jute crisis with Centre to save jobs

Kolkata, Jan 30 (PTI) The Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) has urged West Bengal Labour Minister Moloy Ghatak to take up with the Centre its proposals to control raw jute prices and ensure fibre availability, warning that speculative hoarding has already led to production curtailments and the immediate unemployment of nearly one lakh workers.
    In a letter to the minister, the association said the industry is facing a severe supply-side distortion, with raw jute prices rising sharply from Rs 7,500 to over Rs 13,000 per quintal due to speculative hoarding by intermediaries.
    The IJMA claimed that around 25 to 30 lakh bales of raw jute are being held back from the market, leading to production curtailments across mills and the immediate unemployment of nearly one lakh workers.
    Referring to a meeting held under Ghatak's chairmanship on January 14, the association said it has submitted a formal proposal to the Union Textiles Ministry seeking urgent intervention to stabilise the raw jute market.
    The proposed measures include a mandate requiring traders, dealers and stockists to reduce their raw jute holdings to zero by March 31, 2026, and declaring any trade in raw jute illegal from April 1, 2026 onwards.
    It also suggested that any balance stock held by traders be tendered to the Jute Corporation of India at a government-prescribed reasonable price, with the fibre subsequently supplied to mills based on their 'B Twill' (a type of jute sack) orders from April 2026 to ensure continuity of operations.
    The association requested the state labour minister's support in pursuing these demands with the Centre to protect worker livelihoods and maintain stability in West Bengal's labour-intensive jute sector.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)