Instructions to pack 20 percent of sugar in jute bags

29-Oct-2024 02:44 PM

New Delhi. The Central Government has directed all sugar mills across the country to compulsorily pack at least 20 percent of their total production in jute (gunny) bags.

The Union Textile Ministry has already issued an order to this effect. The government has said that strict action will be taken against sugar mills that do not follow this instruction.

But it has not been clearly disclosed what kind of action will be taken against the guilty sugar mills because adequate availability of jute bags for packing sugar is also an issue.

A letter sent by the Union Food Ministry to all sugar mills said that sugar manufacturing units are hereby directed to order the purchase of jute bags for packing 20 percent of the sugar produced in the current marketing season of 2024-25 and ensure full compliance with the order issued by the Union Textile Ministry on October 1, 2024 for mandatory packing in jute bags.

The letter also said that all sugar mills will have to include all information on jute packaging (in page-2 sheets) in the monthly returns filed by them from October 2024 onwards.

Referring to the importance of this fact, the Food Ministry has said that the latest order of the Textile Ministry was issued after the order given by a division bench of the Karnataka High Court on September 26.

A bench of this court, while issuing an internal order on September 5, had put a 'stay' on the notification issued by the Union Textile Ministry on June 28, which ordered mandatory packing of 20 percent sugar in jute bags.

But on September 26, the division bench of the High Court made the notification of the Textile Ministry effective, setting aside the 'stay' imposed by the single judge.

After this, the ministry again issued a new order on October 1 and on the basis of that, the Food Ministry has now directed all sugar mills to ensure full compliance of that order.