Ministry of Rural Development Holds Webinar to Boost Jute Craft-Based Livelihoods

To boost livelihoods in the non-farm sector, the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) under the Ministry of Rural Development organised a webinar on Jute Craft. The webinar was aimed to bring together key stakeholders from various areas of the jute craft industry to discuss its status, challenges and opportunities, according to an official release.

In his address, Charanjit Singh, Additional Secretary, Rural Livelihoods, stated that jute has the potential of proving itself as 'Golden Fiber’ for livelihoods and ‘Green Fiber’ for the environment.

He urged the experts and participants to focus on ways to bring down its production cost and enhance marketing efforts so that jute craft gets its due recognition as the Golden Fiber and Green Fiber both.

With its potential of enhancing incomes it will add to efforts of enabling Lakhpati Didis as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.

Welcoming the participants, Rajeshwari SM, Director, MoRD, said the webinar was intended to provide a platform for experts and practitioners to share insights on technological advancements, market strategies and the experiences of women artisans in the field.

Kishan Singh Ghughtyal, Joint Director, National Jute Board, Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India, highlighted initiatives of the government for promoting jute craft with the help of advance technology in reducing drudgery and ensuring diversity of Jute products.

Tamal Sarkar, Senior Advisor, Foundation for MSME Cluster (FMC), shared insights on cluster interventions in jute crafts. Anjali Singh, artisan and entrepreneur, shared practical experience on the scope and challenges for women artisans in jute craft marketing and promotion facilitators.

The Indian jute industry is a very old and predominant in the eastern part of India. Jute fiber is extracted from the stem of the plant grown as a cash crop in Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura. In fact, jute mills form an important industry in these states and this industry occupies significant place in the Indian economy.