Joseph Patricio at 06:31, 2 May 2026

2026-05-02T06:31:23Z

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{{Short description|Jute cultivation and production in India}}[[File:Jute Extraction From Retted Jute Stem - River Jalangi - Nadia 2017-08-15 1826.JPG|thumb|Jute Extraction From Retted Jute Stem in Nadia, West Bengal]]

'''Jute production in India''' is integral to the country’s agricultural and industrial economy. [[India]] is the world’s largest producer of [[jute]], accounting for about 75% of estimated world production.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Jute Industry in India: Production, Export Trends & Government Support |url=https://www.ibef.org/exports/jute-industry-india}}</ref> Jute is a natural fiber obtained from plants of the genus [[Corchorus]], and is widely used for making sacks, mats, ropes, and eco-friendly packaging materials.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jute Industry in India, Production, Cultivation, Distribution |url=https://vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/jute-industry-in-india/ |access-date=2026-03-09 |language=en-IN}}</ref>

Jute production is a labour-intensive industry. It employs about two lakh workers in [[West Bengal]] and 4 lakh workers across the country.<ref name=":5" />

== History ==
Jute has been used for making [[Textile|textiles]] in the [[Indus Valley civilisation|Indus valley civilization]] since the 3rd millennium BC.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=New evidence for jute (Corchorus capsularis L.) in the Indus civilization |url=https://www.harappa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Jute.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108050308/https://www.harappa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Jute.pdf |archive-date=2019-01-08 |access-date=2019-01-07 |website=Harappa.com}}</ref> A preserved structure of jute on a ceramic artifact from the site of Harappa that is dated to 2200–1900 BC was found.<ref name=":1" />

For centuries, jute has been a part of the culture of some parts of [[West Bengal]] and [[Assam]]. The British started [[Jute trade|trading in jute]] during the seventeenth century. During the reign of the [[British Raj]], jute was also used in the [[British Armed Forces|army]]. The first jute mill started production in Bengal in 1856.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Jute Industry |url=http://www.worldjute.com/about_jute/juthist.html |access-date=2026-03-25 |website=www.worldjute.com}}</ref> British jute barons grew rich by processing jute and started selling manufactured products made from it. Dundee Jute Barons and the [[British East India Company]] set up many jute mills in Bengal, and by 1895 jute industries in Bengal overtook the Scottish jute trade. Many Scots emigrated to Bengal to set up jute factories.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Office of Jute Commissioner |url=https://jutecomm.gov.in/about-jute/history |access-date=2026-03-25 |website=jutecomm.gov.in}}</ref>

After the [[Partition of India]], many jute-growing areas became part of Bangladesh ([[East Pakistan]]), while most processing mills remained in India. This led to initial shortages of raw jute.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Topic: Jute in India |url=https://www.statista.com/topics/5785/jute-in-india/ |access-date=2026-03-25 |website=Statista |language=en}}</ref> To solve this crisis, the Indian government launched the '''"'''Grow More Jute'''"''' campaign in September 1949, encouraging farmers to grow jute instead of paddy. Later, the Jute Packaging Act of 1987 boosted the industry by mandating the use of jute sacks for packaging essential goods, which guaranteed a steady market for Indian jute farmers.<ref name=":4" />

As of 2020, India has produced 1,807,264 [[Tonne|tonnes]] of jute.<ref>{{cite web |date=2017-02-13 |title=FAOSTAT – Crops |url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016103427/https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC |archive-date=2023-10-16 |access-date=2022-05-17 |publisher=Food And Agricultural Organization of United Nations: Economic And Social Department: The Statistical Division |format=Query page requires interactive entry in four sections: "Countries"–Select All; "Elements"–Production Quantity; "Items"–Jute; "Years"–2020}}</ref> Currently, there are 70 jute mills in India, of which about 60 are in [[West Bengal]] along the banks of [[Hooghly River]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last= |first= |date= |title=Watch {{!}} India's 150-year-old jute industry |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indias-150-year-old-jute-industry/article33334372.ece |access-date= |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
[[File:Jute_plant.gif|thumb|Jute plants (''Corchorus olitorius'' and ''Corchorus capsularis'')]]

== Cultivation and production ==
Jute is grown as a [[Kharif crop]], and is sown during the monsoon season and is harvested between the months of July and October. India produces over one million metric tonnes of jute annually and cultivates it on hundreds of thousands of hectares of land.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Indian Jute Industry {{!}} Jute Industry at A Glance in 2019-2020 |url=https://www.indianmirror.com/indian-industries/2020/jute-2020.html |access-date=2026-03-25 |website=www.indianmirror.com}}</ref> The sector is largely dependent on [[government procurement]], which involves the purchase of jute products worth [[Indian rupee|₹]]5,500 crore every year.<ref name=":0" /> Most of the jute is consumed domestically due to its strong domestic demand, with an average domestic consumption of 90% of total production.<ref name=":0" />

The principal jute-growing belt lies in the [[Ganges Delta|Ganges–Brahmaputra delta]], which provides ideal conditions for cultivation of jute. Jute is mainly cultivated in the states of [[West Bengal]], [[Bihar]] and [[Assam]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Satellite-Based Mapping of Change in Jute Area in India |url=https://www.ncfc.gov.in/change-jute-area.html |website=ncfc.gov.in}}</ref> West Bengal alone accounts for about 50% of India's raw jute production.<ref name=":0" /> Jute is also cultivated in the states of [[Odisha]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jute Craft of Andhra Pradesh – Asia InCH – Encyclopedia of Intangible Cultural Heritage |url=https://asiainch.org/craft/jute-craft-of-andhra-pradesh-telangana/ |access-date=2026-03-25 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date= |title=Watch India's 150-year-old jute industry |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indias-150-year-old-jute-industry/article33334372.ece |access-date= |work=thehindu.com |language=en-IN |issn=}}</ref>

As per the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare's Third Advance Estimates for the 2024-25 agricultural year, India's raw jute production is estimated at 83.08 lakh bales (each weighing 180 kg), marking a decline from 92.52 lakh bales in the previous year.<ref name=":3" />

== Varieties ==
Jute in India is obtained from two species of the genus [[Corchorus]]. They are ''[[Corchorus olitorius]]'' (tossa jute) and ''[[Corchorus capsularis]]'' (white jute).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tossa jute {{!}} Mallow, Edible, Fiber, Names, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/plant/tossa-jute |website=britannica.com}}</ref>

== Exports ==
India is one of the world’s leading exporters of jute and jute products, including raw fibre, yarn, and diversified goods such as bags, mats, etc. The country exports jute products to many countries, including the [[United States]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[Germany]], [[Turkey]], and countries in the [[Middle East]] and [[Africa]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=भारतीय व्यापार पोर्टल |url=https://indiantradeportal.in/vs.jsp?lang=1&id=0,31,24100,29379 |access-date=2026-03-25 |website=indiantradeportal.in}}</ref>

During 2021-22, the United States was the highest importer of Indian jute, with a value of [[United States dollar|US$]]118.3 million, a 26% increase from the previous year.<ref name=":2" />

== Government organizations ==
The National Jute Board is a statutory body under the [[Ministry of Textiles]], [[Government of India]]. It is responsible for the development of the jute sector. It undertakes activities related to market development, export promotion, and support for jute cultivation and manufacturing.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-12 |title=National Jute Board – Weaving India’s Sustainable Growth and Rural Prosperity |url=https://www.outlookbusiness.com/planet/initiatives/national-jute-board-weaving-indias-sustainable-growth-and-rural-prosperity |access-date=2026-03-25 |website=Outlook Business |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Jute Corporation of India|Jute Corporation of India Limited (JCI)]] is [[Public sector undertakings in India|central public sector undertaking]] under the [[ownership]] of [[Ministry of Textiles (India)|Ministry of Textiles]], [[Government of India]]. It was incorporated in 1971. Its primary role is to procure raw jute at [[Minimum support price (India)|Minimum Support Price]] (MSP) and to promote improved cultivation technology.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chatterjee |first=Shrabana |date=2025-05-13 |title=Jute Corporation of India increases MSP to stop distress sales |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/west-bengal/jute-corporation-of-india-increases-msp-to-stop-distress-sales/article69571847.ece |access-date=2026-03-25 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jute Corporation of India (JCI), Ministry, Primary Mandate, Latest News |url=https://vajiramandravi.com/current-affairs/jute-corporation-of-india-jci/ |access-date=2026-03-25 |language=en-IN}}</ref>

== Diseases ==
Jute crops are affected by diseases such as [[stem rot]], [[Canker|anthracnose]], and wilt, caused mainly by [[Fungus|fungi]]. These diseases reduce plant growth, fibre quality, and yield.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manage diseases of jute with cheap and easy input |url=https://epubs.icar.org.in/ejournal/index.php/IndFarm/article/view/87750 |website=epubs.icar.org}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Jute]]
* [[Jute cultivation]]
* [[Jute industry in Bangladesh]]

== References ==

{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Jute industry]]
[[Category:Commodity markets in India]]
[[Category:Economy of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Trade by commodity]]
[[Category:History of Dundee]]
[[Category:Jute industry in India]]

Jute production in India - Revision history

Joseph Patricio at 06:31, 2 May 2026