Jute.

Why in news?

• Centre has reduced the maximum stock limit of raw Jute to 500 quintals for Jute balers (from 750 quintals) and 50 quintals for traders (from 150 quintals).
• It will prevent hoarding of raw jute in the market and ease its supply to mills at a reasonable price.

About Jute

• Jute, also known as golden fibre, is a soft, flexible and hard-wearing bast fibre obtained from the plants Corchorus olitorius (White Jute) and Corchorus capsularis (Tossa Jute).
• It is native to the Indian subcontinent.
• Jute is included in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime of the country.
• Temperature: Between 25-35°C.
• Rainfall: Around 150-250 cm.
• Soil Type: Well-drained alluvial soil.
• Top Jute Producing States: West Bengal > Bihar > Assam > Andhra Pradesh > Odisha.
  • It is mainly concentrated in eastern India because of the rich alluvial soil of Ganga-Brahmaputra delta.
• The world’s largest jute producing countries are India, Bangladesh, China and Thailand.
• India is the largest producer of Jute contributing 50% of raw jute and 40% of jute goods.
• It is known as the golden fibre because it is one of the longest and most used natural fibre for various textile applications.
• It is used in making gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets and other artefacts.
• Due to its high cost, it is losing market to synthetic fibres and packing materials, particularly nylon.