Jute Corporation of India Chairman K V R Murthy today said the company has planned to procure four lakh quintals of jute this year either through Minimum Support Price or commercial trade to increase its market share.
Addressing media in connection with the launch of an independent campaign initiated by the Ministry of Textiles on the eve of the 70th Independence Day, he said a farmer-friendly method of payment will be adopted to encourage increasing number of farmers to come with their produce.
Also, for extending benefits to jute growers, JCI is considering floating a jute banking scheme, he said.
Already through the Jute-ICARE (improved cultivation and advanced rating exercise) project, in association with National Jute Board and JCI, more than 25,000 hectares of land have been brought under jute cultivation and the benefits of enhanced agronomic practices have been extended to more than 40,000 farmers.
He said the JCI was set up to protect interests of growers through procurement of raw jute at MSP fixed by the Centre every year and to maintain necessary infrastructure for this purpose.
JCI has its presence in six jute growing states- West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tripura. It has its head offices at Kolkata, 16 regional offices and 171 departmental purchase centres in the country.
He said the mission of JCI is to implement the policy of providing MSP to jute growers of the country. This year the government has increased the MSP to Rs 3,200 per quintal.
