A coalition of farmers’ organisations representing several political parties met a delegation from the Jute Corporation of India (JCI) on Friday and demanded that the minimum support price (MSP) for raw jute be fixed at Rs 12,000 per quintal. The protest, organisers said, sought immediate action to protect growers from exploitation by middlemen and to ensure guaranteed procurement in jute-producing areas.

Representatives from the CPI(M), Forward Bloc, Congress and other groups attended the meeting, where they presented a memorandum outlining problems faced by jute cultivators.

Farid Mollah, a Forward Bloc leader and farmer representative, criticised the existing MSP and procurement arrangements, saying the current system does not serve the interests of growers and that promised JCI outlets in jute-growing areas have yet to open. “MSP has not been set properly for the interests of jute growers,” Mollah said. “Outlets in the jute-growing areas remain closed despite assurances. Other forms of support from JCI have been ignored or addressed casually.It is a very unfortunate event to highlight these lacunae on the part of the JCI West Bengal unit.”

Molla further added, “Therefore we like to renew our demand and cite the problems of jute cultivation to which the JCI and Government are to specially look into. We demanded that the MSP of Jute should be not less than 12000 per quintal.”

The memorandum highlighted the importance of North Bengal as a jute-producing belt and called for immediate procurement and market support there. It noted that the region, which includes districts such as Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, Malda and parts of the Darjeeling subdivision including Siliguri, yields early-season jute that reaches markets in June, earlier than crops from southern parts of the state.

Farmers urged the JCI to open procurement outlets in growing areas to stop middlemen from exploiting producers and to ensure direct purchases at fair prices. Their demands included an immediate revision of the MSP to at least Rs 12,000 per quintal to reflect rising input costs; the formation of a West Bengal Jute Corporation unit to provide subsidised seeds and fertiliser, water tanks for jute processing, and local jute-processing centres on a public sector model; improved marketing infrastructure; and compensation for jute producers in South Bengal who suffered this season.

“We demand that JCI purchase raw jute directly from producers and stop the exploitative role of middlemen,” the Forward Bloc memorandum said, adding that Belakoba in Jalpaiguri is among the state’s highest-quality jute-producing areas and that many livelihoods depend on the crop.

The Jute Corporation of India declined to give an immediate statement but, officials at the meeting said, assured delegates that the demands would be considered.

Syed Anwar Maqsood, secretary of the Fish Importers’ Association quoted elsewhere on related trade matters, had earlier warned of supply uncertainties in cross-border agricultural markets, a reminder of the fragile economics facing many primary producers.

The farmers’ organisations said they would press the issue further if concrete steps were not announced soon, noting that timely procurement and a realistic MSP are crucial as the jute season advances and markets open.