Kolkata, May 27 (PTI) The West Bengal government has called an emergency meeting with leading stakeholders of the jute industry on Friday aiming to stem the raw jute crisis resulting in the closure of more than a dozen jute mills.

Around 16 mills have been shut down recently due to a growing scarcity of raw material and shortage of labourers arising out of restrictions imposed by the state government to contain the spread of Covid-19, industry sources said.

Closure of these mills rendered around 50,000 workers jobless, they said.

The state government on Thursday allowed the millers to operate with 40 per cent workforce against the existing 30 per cent that was being allowed during the Covid-19 restrictions.

The industry had demanded permission for the deployment of at least 50 per cent workmen.

"We have called a meeting on May 28 over the issue of raw jute crisis and all leading stakeholders are expected to join the meeting," state Labour Minister Becharam Manna told PTI.

Industry and trade body IJMA and JBA have been invited and the Jute Commissioners office will also join the meeting.

Mill sources are hopeful about the outcome of the joint meeting.

"Raw jute is being sold at Rs 8,700 per quintal in Kolkata markets which is 85-90 per cent higher than normal times", sources said.

In 2020-2021, raw jute production suffered a steep fall by 30 to 40 per cent as 60 thousand hectares under jute cultivation was destroyed by cyclone Amphan.

Recently, the expert jute committee observed that some quantity of raw jute was also exported from various informal sources worsening the crisis.

However, no action was taken against the illegal raw jute exporters, mill officials claimed.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)