Jute
Jute is the main industrial and cash crop of West Bengal. Various items like sacks, sackcloth, carpets, rope, twine, curtains etc. are made from the fiber obtained from jute crop.
Therefore its commercial importance is very high. This is the main money generating crop. Therefore it is called golden fibre.
West Bengal ranks first in India in the production of jute. About 73.95% of the total jute production of India is produced in West Bengal.
The following favorable conditions exist for the cultivation of jute in West Bengal: -
(1) High temperature - Jute is a tropical plant. A temperature of 25°C-30°C is required for its West Bengal is near the Tropic of Cancer, hence the temperature here remains high in summer.
(2) Excessive rainfall – Jute plant is very tolerant towards water. 150-200 cm for jute cultivation. m. Rain is required. West Bengal receives heavy rainfall due to the monsoon winds rising from the Bay of Bengal cultivation.
(3) Deltaic soil - Loamy and alluvial soil is best for jute cultivation. Jute plant destroys the fertility of the land. There is no special benefit in growing jute by giving fertilizer. Therefore, its cultivation is more in deltaic areas. In the delta part of the Hooghly River in West Bengal, new soil is deposited every year due to floods. This soil has proved to be a boon for jute cultivation.
(4) Clean water - To get fiber from the jute plant, it has to rot for several days, then it is washed by throwing it in water. Therefore, sufficient clean and sweet water is required for this. In West Bengal, sufficient water is available from rivers, ponds and canals for rotting and cleaning jute.
(5) Cheap labor – Adequate and cheap labor is required to grow, harvest, rot, wash and separate the fiber from the stalk of jute. The population of West Bengal is high. Cheap labor is also available here from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa.
Major Jute Producing Districts –
The jute areas of West Bengal are located in the Ganges delta region on both sides of the Hooghly River. The major jute producing districts are Bardhaman, North Twenty-four Parganas, Murshidabad, Nadia, West Dinajpur, Malda, East and West Medinipur, Hooghly, Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri.
Following are the problems for jute cultivation in West Bengal -
(1) Lack of clean water:- To get good quality jute, it has to be threshed and washed in clean water. A clean reservoir is found only where dirty water flows away due to floods and new clean water accumulates. But there is a lack of such reservoirs in West Bengal, hence it is difficult to get good quality jute.
(2) Compulsion of rice cultivation:- To meet the increasing population in West Bengal, farmers are forced to cultivate rice in jute fields.
(3) Farmers not getting fair price :-
Do not take special interest in agriculture Farmers are not able to get fair price for jute, as a result farmers sell jute.
(4) Lack of yield per acre:- The yield per hectare of jute is very.
Jute Industry
It is one of the most ancient industries of India and after the cotton textile industry, it is the second well organized industry of India. India has a monopoly on the jute industry and the export of its products.
This is the main source of obtaining foreign exchange through exports. Its first factory in India was opened in 1859 AD in Risra on the banks of Hooghly river. At present there are 73 jute mills in India. Of these, there are 59 mills in West Bengal alone the state of West Bengal has the first place in India in the jute industry. All the jute mills here are located on both the banks of the Hooghly River near Kolkata, in a 96 km long and 4 km wide strip from Bansberia in the north to Birlapur in the south. 85% of the country's jute goods are produced from this state.
Following are the reasons for the concentration of jute industry in this region:-
(1) Proximity of raw material:- The main production area of jute is the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta region. West Bengal is the largest jute producing state in India. We also import some jute from Bangladesh.
(2) Sources of power:- Coal is available from Raniganj and Jharia. Cheaper than Damodar Valley and Mayurakshi schemes
(3) Transport facility:- Cheap water transport facility is available through Hooghly river. This part is connected to the interior parts of the country by rail, road and waterways.
(4) Cheap labour:- Due to high population, cheap labor is available from Bihar, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. (5) Proximity of Kolkata Port:- Kolkata Port has the facility to import machinery and necessary equipment and export finished goods.
(6) Facility of capital:- Capitalists live here. Banks and capitalists also have the facility to obtain capital.
(7) Facility of clean water:- Clean water is available from Hooghly river for washing and dyeing jute.
(8) Initial feature :- The first jute mills were established here during the British period. So here's the beginning The main centers of jute industry here are Bali, Agarpara, Titagarh, Risra, Shrirampur, Shyamnagar, Naihati, Kankinara, Ulberia, Bajabaj, Konnagar, Howrah and Salkiya etc.
Problems and solutions of Jute industry in West Bengal
Problems of Jute Industry:
1. Shortage of raw material:- Due to partition of the country in 1947, most of the jute producing areas went to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) but most of the jute factories remained in West Bengal. This leads to shortage of raw materials.
2. Foreign competition:- Now jute factories have also opened in Bangladesh, China, Thailand and Indonesia. Therefore, the jute industry in West Bengal is facing strong competition.
3. Decrease in demand for jute sacks:- There are many substitutes for jute in the world. At some places paper bags and at other places bags of other fibers are used. In Canada, wheat is exported by loading it into ships without bagging it. Thus the demand for jute sacks is decreasing in the world market.
4. Old machines: The jute factories of West Bengal have old machines from the British era. They are worn out and do not suit modern times. Due to this, the cost of production increases and goods are not manufactured as per the demand. Solution of problems:- To solve these problems, the Government of India has taken the following steps:
(1) Law for necessary use of jute: - To save the jute industry from destruction, the Government of India has made a law in 1987 making it necessary to use jute sacks in food grains, cement, fertilizers etc.
(2) Use of modern machines:- Many types of research have been done in relation to jute industry. Old machines are being removed and replaced with new modern machines.
(3) Nationalization of jute mills:- The Government of India took over the management of sick jute mills and saved them from closure.
(4) Establishment of Jute Corporation of India: - In 1971, the Government of India established an organization called 'Jute Corporation of India' which determines the price of jute, thereby protecting the interests of both farmers and jute factories.
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