Reason: decks have been cleared for setting up of a jute park in Maranga, about 10 km south of Purnia town, by Jute Corporation of India (JCI).

With that, farmers in the two districts of Purnia and Katihar would have yet another cash crop other than banana to earn extra money to be deposited in banks. The increased deposits in banks operating in Purnia division had surpirsed even deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi. Otherwise, jute, along with maize, had for long been the major cash crop for farmers there after the practice of cultivating tobacco went out of fashion in the 1970s.

It is learnt that the state government has finally allotted 44.5 acres of land for the establishment of jute park at Maranga. The procedure for acquisition and transfer of land was delayed, because the JCI was to make the constructions and, therefore, the state's bureaucratic set up down to the district deemed the project as nobody's baby for obvious reasons! Yet, the initiative with regard to land aquisition and transfer was made by Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA) with some seriousness, even as JCI had been prodding the establishment for the last two years.

The Centre,m meanwhile, has already increased the minimum support price (MSP) for jute. While earlier it was Rs 1,235 per tonne, the present MSP for jute has been fixed at Rs 1,375 per tonne.

Source: Times Of India Decks cleared for setting up jute park at Maranga