Jute Raw Material Bank Scheme

Background

National Jute Board (NJB), Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India has developed large numbers of clusters of Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs), artisans and entrepreneurs throughout the country engaged in manufacturing of various types of Jute Diversified Products (JDPs ) ranging from ordinary shopping/fancy bags, braided handicrafts, handloom products, jute footwear, jute wall hangings, floor coverings etc. through trainings, design development & disseminations and supplying machines. Now, there is an urgent need of establishing jute raw material supply chains for ensuring uninterrupted supply of jute raw materials for making jute products by these beneficiaries. With a view to this, the setting up of Jute Raw Materials Bank near those clusters and production units has become inevitable.

Objectives

The following objectives are envisaged for the JRMB Schemes

• To assist more and more number of production units in the small, medium and micro sector for use of jute as raw material in order to expand the production base for the diversified jute products.
• To assist by providing jute raw materials at their locations to the number of existing skilled workforce as well as the new artisans/entrepreneurs/WSHGs for production of jute diversified products in the decentralized sector.
• To help create employment for the rural masses in the newly established JDP production units.
• To increase demand for consumption of raw jute for producing JDPs, thereby ensuring continuous market for the produce of jute farmers.
• To build up supply chains for certain and smooth supply of jute raw materials to the production units in the small, medium and micro sector at an economic price at which the materials are available at the source of supply.

Area of Operation of the Scheme

The Scheme will be implemented in the whole of India for Indian citizens wherever the scope of undertaking JDPs activities is existing / potential as per the available records / survey reports or the surveys to be conducted in future.

Activities of a JRMB

• The JRMBs shall be established near the clusters and the production units so that jute raw material is supplied to them regularly at economic rates i.e. mill gate price plus actual transportation cost, to help them manufacture high value products, both for domestic and international markets. This will be a sustainable process to increase the production base for JDPs and to increase the employments in rural masses particularly the women for which competent organizations /agencies having well established backward and forward linkages will be required to be collaborated with.
• Different agencies, referred to as Operating Agencies (OA) will be engaged by inviting applications to run each of the JRMB.
• To survey and identify the existing as well as the potential clusters, where JDPs activities can be undertaken for production of JDPs through WSHGs/Artisan s/Entrepreneurs etc. on sustainable basis;
• To create awareness among the targeted beneficiaries about the JDPs, their applications and utilities;
• To assess the requirements of jute materials by the WSHGs/Artisans/Entrepreneurs etc. for manufacturing JDPs as per the market trend demand;
• To undertake regular updating of jute production units such as WSHGs, artisans, entrepreneurs in their respective areas and maintain a data base for the same;
• To tie up and pursue with Operating Agencies of NJB i.e. JIDCs for the present and JSCs/CDAs of the past to get detailed data of the JDPs production units assisted by them;
• To encourage and support WSHGs /artisans/entrepreneurs etc. for bulk production of quality JDPs through regular supply of required quality and quantity of jute raw materials at economic rates as per the mechanism to be devised in consultation with NJB;

Jute Raw Materials to be procured and sold by the JRMB

The raw materials to be procured and sold through JRMB include:

• Raw Jute for braided products
• Jute yarn or jute blended yarn
• Laminated jute or jute union fabric (jute or jute blended)
• Bleached or dyed jute/jute union fabric (jute or jute blended)
• Non - laminated jute union fabric (jute or jute blended)
• Dyes, chemicals and other accessories, e.g.
• Bag handles made of cane/bamboo/plastic
• Jute or cotton rope for bag handles
• Bag stitching thread - cotton, PP, plastic, synthetic
• Tape - cotton, PP, synthetic.
• Any other materials required for making JDPs

For the purpose of Jute and Jute Blended yarn/fabric/products etc., the standard definition for such products adopted by NJB will only be considered.

Eligibility of the agencies for establishing JRMB

Different agencies, hereinafter referred to as Operating Agencies (OA) are to be engaged by inviting applications to run each of the JRMBs. The eligibility of agencies who can submit proposals are

• The Agency and its functionaries should be bonafide Indian agencies and Indian Citizens and shall be eligible to carry commercial transactions;
• Any agency engaged in the Product identification, Bulk Production, Skill Trainings and marketing of Raw materials for production of Jute Diversified Products or other natural fibres and their products, at least for the last three years.
• The applicant Operating Agency (OA) should have annual turnover of over Rs. 10.00 lakhs in each of the last three financial years.
• The OA should have its own office - shop (at least 200 sq. ft.) must be preferably located on the Main Roads, easily accessible with sufficient parking place and well connected to the Transportation network, should have storage facility, Landline Telephone/ Mobile / Internet access, Computer facility etc. for operating the Jute Raw Material Bank.
• Agencies who Operate the NJB funded JIDCs or who have experience in running NJB’s JSC/JRMB/ CDAs in the past may also apply.
• Above requirements are not applicable for PSUs, TRAs, WSHGs, CFCs and Other State owned organizations related to Jute and JDPs, they can apply directly.

Application process

This scheme is open ended, there is no last date. However applications received are evaluated on Monthly basis. The applications received during the month shall be evaluated in subsequent Month. All the applications (in the prescribed format with required documents) in sealed envelope should be sent by Registered Post addressed to
The Secretary,
National Jute Board, Govt. of India, Ministry of Textiles ,
3A & 3B Park Plaza, 71, Park Street, Kolkata – 700016.
The sealed envelop e should be clearly marked “Proposal for JRMB - Name of Operating Agency and location” .

For the complete guidelines and application format, click here.

Source : National Jute Board.