Govt to ensure certified good quality seeds to jute farmers, JCI signs MoU with NSC

New Delhi: In an effort to improve the production and productivity of raw Jute in the country, the Ministry of Textiles will make available certified jute seeds to the farmers through the Jute Corporation of India (JCI). National Seeds Corporation (NSC), a CPSE under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare would be ensuring delivery of these quality certified seeds to the JCI. An MoU in this regard was signed between the JCI and National Seeds Corporation (NSC) recently.

Present on the occasion of the MoU signing ceremony through virtual mode were Union Minister of Textiles, Ms Smriti Zubin Irani and Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Mr Narendra Singh Tomar. The MoU will ensure the distribution of certified jute seeds through JCI in the year 2021-2022.

Speaking during the MoU signing ceremony, Union Minister of Textiles, Ms Smriti Zubin Irani expressed gratitude for the synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Textiles in the area of providing certified jute seeds to farmers, which began three years back. She said that there is a special provision for jute and jute textile products in the National Technical Textiles Mission which was announced in February this year. There is immense potential for increasing the use of jute in lining of water bodies, road building and construction of structures to contain landslides in hilly areas. The Union Minister of Textiles said that in addition to becoming self-reliant in the requirement of jute for the domestic market, the next target is to strengthen the export potential of the country in jute and its products.

Mr Narendra Singh Tomar expressed happiness at the signing of the MoU between the National Seeds Corporation and Jute Corporation of India. He appreciated the commendable work of the National Seeds Corporation in providing good quality seeds at low cost for jute farmers. Mr Tomar stressed on the importance of improving the production and quality of raw jute in the country, and said that along with this, providing value addition to the produce will contribute in achieving the Prime Minister’s target of an Aatma Nirbhar Bharat. He also stressed on preparing a road map for building jute export potential within a fixed time frame.

As an outcome of the MoU, JCI will distribute 10,000 Quintals of certified jute seeds of JRO-204 variety in the 2021-22 crop year. Certified seeds from National Seed Corporation (NSC) will be purchased by JCI for this first ever commercial distribution operation. 5-6 Lakh farm families will be benefited and the spurious seed market will be reduced drastically while augmenting the revenue of JCI. The increase in productivity will enhance the income of the farmers and will go a long way in reaching the target of doubling the farmers’ income by 2022.

The three agencies in the field – the Jute Corporation of India (JCI), National Jute Board (NJB) and Central Research Institute for Jute & Allied Fibres (CRIJAF) are promoting modern agronomic practices for overall improvement of quantity and quality of jute under the jute project ICARE.

The quality of raw jute produced has been adversely affected over the years due to low quality seeds and/or spurious seeds. This MoU will ensure that jute farmers are able to get the best quality seeds meeting the demands of the varying agro-climate conditions and intensive cropping system.