The jute sector has been playing an important role in the economy of the country in general and the eastern region in particular. About 4 million farmers, most of them small and marginal, are engaged in the cultivation of Jute and Mesta and about 2.61 lakh workers are employed in the jute industry.
The Central Government has formulated the National Jute Policy (NJP) 2005 with an objective of increasing production, improving quality, ensuring remunerative prices to the jute farmers and enhancing per hectare yield.
The specific sectoral thrusts to achieve the aforesaid objectives are to:
(i) Enhance R & D efforts to improve yield and quality of jute fibre through better technology transfer and agronomic practices;
(ii) Accelerate modernization of the jute industry;
(iii) Restructure and revitalising the existing Public Sector Enterprises;
(iv) Revamp the Market Support Scheme to enhance the share of diversified jute products from 18 per cent o 35 per cent in next 10 years;
(v) Enhance R & D efforts to achieve higher degree of jute diversification;
(vi)Restructure and revamping existing public institutions and establishing new ones to give a fresh impetus to the jute sector and
(vii)Operationalise the Jute Technology Mission expeditiously.
The Jute Technology Mission, will become operational from this year with an outlay of Rs. 345.55 core. It will be operationalised through four Mini Missions of which Mini Mission – III pertaining to the development of efficient market linkages for raw jute; and Mini Mission-IV relating to modernization, technology upgradation, productivity improvement, diversification and development of human resource for the jute industry will be implemented by Ministry of Textiles. Mission-I and II will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture.
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