Textile Ministry Not Giving Us Copy Of Tariff Commission Report On Jute Bag Price: IJMA

The jute lobby body Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) alleged that the Union Textile Ministry has not given it a copy of the recent jute bag price report by the Tariff Commission.

The report of the Tariff Commission is key for IJMA to demand a fair price of its manufactured jute bags.

In a letter to the Union Textile Ministry secretary Upendra Prasad Singh, the trade body said 'to deny IJMA a copy of the report is a violation of principles of natural justice and fair play and nothing but a travesty of justice.' The issue revolves around the 'Report of the Study on Normative Fair Price of 580 Gm Type 'A' and Type 'B' B-Twill Jute bags' by the Tariff Commission which was submitted to the government in March but the IJMA has not been given a copy even though the report has been prepared at the behest of IJMA, the association claimed.

IJMA officials said in past Tariff Commission reports were made available to them by the then governments.

IJMA is in a long-drawn battle with the Textile Ministry over demands for a fair price of its manufactured jute bags. At the moment the industry body claims making a minimum loss of Rs 3,000 per tonne by supplying jute bags to the government and demanding revision of price.

The provisional price of 2016 was meant to be effective for only six months. Neither the Textile Ministry nor the Jute Commissioner's office took any action to rework the old jute bag price calculation in the past five years, they claimed.

The Union Food ministry and state food procuring agencies are bulk purchasers (almost 85 per cent) of jute bags that are used for packing food grain in Kharif and Rabi season alongside sugar.

The industry is supposed to supply 14 lakh bales of jute bags between June and November 2021 for the Kharif season. IJMA is in the process of placing a revised supply commitment.

(PTI)