IJMA alleges illegal export of jute bags from Nepal

Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) has alleged that hessian jute bags are making their way to India from Nepal illegally, which is affecting the domestic jute industry.

The organisation of jute mill owners has shot off a letter to Jogbani integrated check post in Bihar adjoining Nepal to highlight the alleged situation and urged it to take prompt action.

''To circumvent actual levy, traders in Nepal are resorting to unfair trade practices of passing off ‘jute sacking bags’ as ‘hessian fabric’,'' IJMA said in its letter to the land border authorities.

In the July 28 letter, it urged the authorities to take immediate action against this practice which is hurting the domestic jute industry and leading to lower levy collection by the government.

IJMA had, in a presentation to the government in April, alleged that despite the anti-dumping duty, imports of jute from Bangladesh and Nepal were on the rise and requested the government to take steps against it. IJMA in its presentation said that in 2020-21 total import of jute products from Nepal and Bangladesh had risen to 18.28 per cent of the domestic demand, up from 8.8 in 2011-12.

Jute industry officials said the import of jute bags in the guise of hessian and dumping from Bangladesh is putting the Rs 10,000 crore industry at stake.

Over 30 lakh farmers and 2.5 lakh workers are directly involved in the industry in India.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)