Kolkata, Jun 27 (PTI) The standing advisory committee, under the aegis of the Union Textile Ministry, will meet on June 30 to examine, consider and recommend reservation for packaging of commodities in jute bags for the year 2021-22, industry sources said on Sunday.

There are apprehensions in some quarters about dilution in reservation by the central government, they said.

"It is widely believed that the government has retained 100 per cent reservation for packaging of food grains, and 20 per cent for sugar, in jute bags," one source said.

The Indian Jute Mills Association has written a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking her intervention to ensure that Bengal's mills receive 100 per cent jute bag supply orders in 2021-22 for packing food grains and sugar.

Nearly three-fourths of raw jute is produced in West Bengal followed by Bihar and Assam.

Over 2.5 lakh workers are employed in 70 jute mills in the state, the sources said.

"Fifteen jute mills are closed because of last year's raw jute scarcity and high price... This year's situation might change. There is a bumper raw jute crop and all mills will start operating," the association said in the letter.

The SAC meeting will be held virtually and involve all stakeholders, including state governments.

(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)