Jute stock curbs lifted, record acreage eases supply fears

The Office of the Jute Commissioner has withdrawn all raw jute stock control orders with immediate effect, ending restrictions that had remained in force for more than nine months, PTI reported from Kolkata on Wednesday.

The decision comes at the start of the 2026-27 jute season, with expectations of a much larger crop following a sharp rise in acreage. The move removes holding limits on traders, balers, dealers, stockists and jute mills. 

Earlier, traders were required to maintain nil stock, while mills could hold raw jute only for up to 45 days of consumption.The restrictions were introduced last year after a severe shortage pushed raw jute prices to nearly ₹19,000 per quintal, more than three times the minimum support price of ₹5,925. Industry estimates suggest only about 52 lakh bales reached the market, far below official projections of 75-95 lakh bales. At a recent Expert Committee meeting, industry representatives rejected allegations of hoarding, saying strict stock controls, mandatory declarations on the Jute SMART portal and physical inspections had found no hidden inventories. 

They argued that the production gap resulted from outdated carryover estimates and differences between satellite-based acreage calculations and actual mill-usable fibre. The latest satellite assessment by the National Remote Sensing Centre estimated jute cultivation at 5.82 lakh hectares, around 21% higher than last year.  The biggest increase was recorded in West Bengal's Murshidabad and Nadia districts.