New Delhi, May 2 (KNN) Flagging the issue of jute mill closures due to lesser demands, Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani has urged Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan to take steps to increase order for jute sacks for packaging foodgrains.

According to a media report, Irani in a letter to Paswan wrote, “I wish to draw your attention to the fact the jute industry is facing shortage of jute bag orders.”

The issue had earlier been taken up by the Textiles Secretary, who had written to his counterpart in the Consumer Affairs ministry saying that the problem had its genesis in the request made by the Consumer Affairs ministry to the Textiles ministry seeking dilution of the Jute Packaging Mandatory Order (under the Jute Packaging Material Act, 1987) in favour of the HDPE/PP bags sector.

The Textiles Ministry had then given a relaxation of 2.58 lakh bales for HPDE/PP bags based on a projection of bag requirement for foodgrains packaging and an anticipated shortage of supply of jute bags.

The Textiles ministry pointed that the total bag requirement (including HDPE) was now being put at only 15.6 lakh bales and that unless the order allowing the use of HDPE bags was withdrawn the jute industry could be hit.

Later, the Jute Commissioner too wrote a letter to the Director Food and Public Distribution on April 19, saying there is no shortage of jute bags and the decision to procure synthetic bags should be reviewed.