"I strongly condemn the attitude of the Central Government for diluting the reservation norms for compulsory use of jute bags for packaging of goodgrains and sugar by 10% and 60% respectively for the year 2012-13. As a result, I am told that the price of raw jute has drastically fallen from 550 to 200 per quintal.
"It is a dangerous situation. The Central Government must not compel the farmers to commit suicide," she said in a facebook update.
She said farmers of West Bengal, the largest jute-growing state, and other eastern region states like Bihar and Assam will suffer severely.
The government has relaxed compulsory jute packing norms by allowing mills to pack only 40 per cent of their sugar output in jute bags this year, instead of 100 per cent.
Under the Jute Packaging Materials Act (JPMA)-1987, the government had made 100 per cent mandatory reservation for jute bags for packaging of sugar and foodgrain.
"This anti-farmers decision of the central government will add more miseries to the livelihood of millions of small and marginal jute cultivators, and workmen involved in manufacturing of jute bags," the CM said.
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Stating that the central government is required to provide for compulsory 100 per cent use of jute for packaging of foodgrain and sugar under the Jute Packaging Materials (Compulsory Use in Packaging) Act, 1987, she demanded that the recent decision to dilute these norms must be withdrawn without any delay.
"It is high time for the minority UPA-II government to go. Farmers, workers and common people are not safe under this regime," the Trinamool Congress chief said while appealing people to unitedly raise voices against these atrocities.