India's jute output likely to dip in 2012-13 (India)

India is likely to witness a fall in its jute production for the 2012-13 crop year as the country has received about 20 percent less monsoon rains than usual by July this year, according to the National Jute Board.

 

Hit by scanty rains in jute growing states, India’s jute output for 2012-13 crop year is expected to plummet by 12 percent from last year’s 10.2 million bales (1 bale=332.5 kg) to 9 million bales, said  Atri Bhattacharya, Secretary of the National Jute Board.

 

He said scanty rains in some states and downpour in Assam could adversely impact the crop condition.

 

According to the Agriculture Ministry statistics, as compared to last year’s 892,000 hectares, this season by now jute cultivation has been done on an area of only 840,000 hectares.

 

In India, jute is mainly grown in seven states, namely, Assam, Meghalaya, Orissa, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.

 

Usually, jute is taken up as an inter-crop during the interval between the two main agricultural seasons – kharif and rabi. Each year, around five to six percent of the total jute output is used to prepare about 1.6 million tons of jute products, while the remaining output is used by farmers for manure and fuel.

 

Providing direct and indirect employment to around four million people, the Indian jute industry has mainly retained its focus on production of gunny bags, but now the Textiles Ministry wants it to shift its focus to production of items with better value-addition.