Govt, jute bodies differ on crop output estimates

Differences have cropped up among senior officials of the jute industry over the estimates of raw jute output for the current year.

The Jute Commissioner has instructed the Directorate of Jute Development (DJD), under the Union agriculture ministry, to reveal the method of crop assessment in view of the divergent opinions.

At the 29th meeting of the Jute Advisory Board (JAB), while the CMD of Jute Corporation of India (JCI) and the executive vice-chairman of Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) estimated a crop size of 90 lakh bales for 2006-07, director of DJD put the estimate at 113 lakh bales.

Explaining the difference in the estimates, the DJD director informed the meeting that those were not final and were mainly based on the information on yield received from the different state governments.

IJMA Chairman Sanjay Kajaria and JCI CMD R C Tewari refused to comment on the issue, and pointed out that the matter would be resolved at the Jute Commissioner's level.

Meanwhile, Kolkata-based Jute Balers Association (JBA) estimated the raw jute output for 2006-07 around 102 lakh bales. A JBA representative at the meeting said that 60 lakh bales of raw jute had already arrived in the Kolkata markets.

In 2005-06, JBA estimated a crop size of 100 lakh bales. According to the Kolkata body, the crop size in 2007-08 would register nil or insignificant growth because of the large carry-over stock and lower prices received by the farmers.

There were apprehensions at the meeting that a section of the farmers may switch over to other crops. IJMA representatives pointed out that crop size in 2007-08 could be in the region of 115 lakh bales.

There was some discontent at the meeting over the availability of jute seeds. S K Bhattacharya, executive vice-chairman, IJMA, said most of the producing units in Andhra Pradesh were not producing certified seeds. The JBA chairman proposed to take up the matter with the Andhra Pradesh government.

However, director of DJD said seed production in the current year was sufficient with National Seed Corporation, Maharashtra Seed Corporation and others producing around 22,000-23,000 quintals of seed against the last year's 13,000-14,000 quintals.

DJD was hopeful that with favourable weather conditions, acreage for jute cultivation in the coming year might go up by 5 per cent.