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West Bengal seeks 100pc foodgrain, 40pc sugar jute packaging quota at SAC meeting
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....est Bengal seeks 100pc foodgrain, 40pc sugar jute packaging quota at SAC meeting<BR>GST<BR>Dated:- 6-8-2026<BR>PTI<BR>Kolkata, Aug 6 (PTI) The West Bengal government has urged the Centre to retain mandatory 100 per cent jute packaging for foodgrains and raise the reservation for sugar packaging to 40 per cent from the existing 20 per cent. Labour Minister Arjun Singh on Thursday said the state ....
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....government made the requests at the 34th Standing Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting held in New Delhi on August 5. In a post on X, Singh said the state mounted a "power-packed defence" of the jute sector under the Jute Packaging Materials (Compulsory Use in Packing Commodities) Act, 1987. The committee, convened by the Ministry of Textiles, recommends mandatory jute packaging reservations for....
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.... the ensuing Jute Year 2026-27. Its recommendations will now be placed before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for the annual notification. According to the minister, the state government argued that continuing the 100 per cent reservation for foodgrains and doubling the sugar packaging reservation to 40 per cent were essential to absorb this season's bumper jute output and ensu....
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....re remunerative prices for farmers. The state was represented jointly by its Labour Department and MSME & Textiles Department, which Singh described as the first instance of the government presenting a comprehensive case before the SAC for the welfare of the jute economy. The government highlighted that West Bengal had harvested a bumper jute crop this season and stressed that uninterrupted ....
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....operation of jute mills was crucial for safeguarding the interests of both farmers and workers. It also informed the committee that all jute mills in the state are currently operational following initiatives taken by the state government. The state further argued that jute bags are biodegradable and environmentally friendly, unlike HDPE and polypropylene woven sacks, and said any dilution of....
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.... mandatory jute packaging would run counter to efforts to reduce plastic pollution. The presentation also underscored the sector's socio-economic significance, stating that jute connects the rural economy with industry by supporting millions of farm households and a large organised workforce, particularly in West Bengal, which houses the majority of the country's jute mills. Singh said farme....
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....rs and workers remained the priority of the state government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and reiterated his commitment to protecting the interests of jute mill workers. The jute economy supports an estimated 40 lakh farm families and over 2.5 lakh mill workers across the country, with West Bengal accounting for the bulk of jute cultivation and manufacturing. The annual SAC recommendat....
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....ions are considered crucial for the sector's rural and industrial livelihoods. PTI BSM NN =============<BR> News - Press release - PIB....