The Mandatory Jute Packaging Act And It’s Impact In India

As of 2019, West Bengal is among the largest producers of Jute, along with other North Indian Regions including Assam, Orissa, Bihar and Meghalaya. Often cited as the “Golden Fibre’ in the Indian subcontinent, this is one of the most resourceful materials for a biodegradable alternative to single use plastics and gunny bags made of synthetic materials. For a long time, agro-foods has been transported in the jute sacks, especially grains and sugar. With the recent extension of the Act, it is now mandatory to pack 20% of sugar and 100% of food grains in diversified jute sacks. The current reform will go on to sustain the livelihoods of hundreds of labourers and farmers working in the Jute Mills, saving them at large from recession. There is great scope of work here, and thanks to the CSR norms, the workers will have a quality work-life balance, giving rise to a truly bright future for the long run. Impact On Exporters The Indian jute industry is largely propelled by the Government, through the official purchase of Jute Bags and other materials, making it a turnover of over ₹5,000 Crores. That is enough to sustain the lives of over 40lakh farmers and 3.7lakh workers, plus other officials working in the field. With the current optimized demand, this will have greater prospects, and even more scope of work. However, the Governmental move largely turns back a large portion of the total jute production for domestic use, that it might make it cumbersome for the parallel industries such as raw jute exporters. Though the matter is largely nullified with enough resources for all, the industry is currently at a shaky situation as how it will pan out for the future. According to a jute tote bags manufacturer in India , that procures most of its jute from the Government, the current increase of domestic demand doesn’t seem to affect the trade too much, but it does raise questions for the future. Fashion Bags Manufacturers The fashion bags sector isn’t going to be a part of the material crunch. Because first of all this sector is not wholly dependent on jute, but you can find that a certain jute tote bag producer also works with canvas and cotton, as well as denim. For a canvas tote bag manufacturer in India it isn’t too cumbersome to procure the material enough to sustain it’s yearly turnover, even if it faces a crunch of jute raw materials to supply for a bulk production. Conclusion The idea of the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act 2010 and newly extended decision in 2018 is to make the nation a little more sustainable and using all scopes of doing so. Therefore, besides the 100% packaging mandatory for all areas possible, the Government is also going to pay heed to the export and fashion related use of the Golden Fibre, so there are going to be more production, more plants and more workers joining the movement. This is a good thing to start with, but requires the collaborative efforts of Governments and manufacturers. So far the industry looks promising.