Jute Sugar Bags

Jute Packaging Materials Act (JPMA), 1987, as has been done for cement and fertilisers in the past. As of now, 20 per cent of the sugar has to be compulsorily packed in jute bags.Sugar mills have argued that the industry has to bear an additional burden of Rs 350 crore if the mandatory jute packaging order is continued for 2017-18. This concern is based on the premise that on an average, the price of jute sacks is up to 2.5 times more than high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bags. A 50-kg HDPE bag costs Rs 15-16 compared to Rs 50-51 of a jute sacking bag of the same capacity…