The Office of the Jute Commissioner on Tuesday issued a Raw Jute Stock Control Order, capping the permissible holding limits for various stakeholders and mandating daily inventory disclosures.

The directive is seen as a response to the Centre’s push to rein in prices of essential commodities following ‘Operation Sindoor’, an Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) official said.

Issued by Jute Commissioner Moloy Chandan Chakrabortty, the order limits balers with in-house baling presses to 1,500 quintals, traders and dealers to 300 quintals, and unregistered entities to a mere 500 kg. For jute mills, the cap is linked to two months’ consumption based on current production levels.

The order does not apply to stocks procured by the Jute Corporation of India Ltd (JCI).

All entities in the raw jute supply chain — balers, traders, stockists, mills, and agencies — have been directed to submit daily reports detailing their opening and closing stock, purchases, sales and dispatches.

Non-compliance may attract penal action, according to the directive.

PTI