Flexibility In JPMA Can Help In Addressing Packaging Issues Of Food Grains
This is due to decline in jute cultivation area combined with restrictions on raw jute imports through land borders, and tightened domestic supply
New Delhi: India’s food security ecosystem is facing a structural packaging constraint and requires timely and pragmatic policy intervention. The country is staring at a shortfall of about six lakh bales of jute packaging material for Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2026-27 / Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2025-26, risking disruption to food-grain procurement and storage operations.
This is due to decline in jute cultivation area combined with restrictions on raw jute imports through land borders, and tightened domestic supply. The issuance of a raw-jute stock-control order by the Jute Commissioner in September 2025, aimed at preventing hoarding, further underscores the seriousness of the supply stress and the risk of market disruption.
Against this backdrop, the Indian Federation of Technical Woven Textiles (IFTEX) has submitted a detailed, data-backed representation to the Standing Advisory Committee (SAC), seeking a calibrated and standards-driven dilution of the Jute Packaging Materials Act (JPMA) for food-grain packing. IFTEX represents pan-India manufacturers of HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) / PP (Polypropylene) woven sacks.
As per industry, HDPE/PP woven sacks have been used extensively for wheat and rice under previous dilution orders. Independent trials and field usage show no significant storage loss, contamination, or logistical disadvantage and HDPE/PP sacks are 100% domestically manufactured, supporting MSMEs and employment nationwide.
Food Security must override packaging rigidity: The JPMA, enacted in 1987, played an important role in supporting the jute economy. JPMA (1987) mandates 100% jute use for food grains but explicitly allows dilution up to 30% during supply shortages or exigencies. Similar dilutions have been repeatedly approved by SAC in past years without operational or safety issues.
However, today’s environment demands policy flexibility aligned with food security realities, says industry. Packaging delays directly threaten procurement timelines, storage efficiency, and distribution readiness, particularly at a time when India is managing record food-grain production and buffer stocks.
Government records themselves acknowledge that JPMA provisions allow up to 30% dilution during supply disruptions. With a verified six-lakh-bale shortage already on record, extending PP/HDPE woven sacks for food-grain packaging is not a deviation, it is policy-compliant risk mitigation.
Policy consistency with Atmanirbhar Bharat: Industry says HDPE/PP woven sacks are fully manufactured within India, rely on domestically available raw materials, and support thousands of MSMEs across logistics corridors nationwide. In contrast, the jute value chain continues to depend on imported raw jute during deficit years, inadvertently exporting value despite protectionist intent. Empirical evidence from multiple procurement seasons shows that plastic woven sacks have already been used successfully for wheat and rice under past dilution orders, without compromising storage safety, grain quality, or handling efficiency. The proposal before SAC, therefore, builds on proven precedent, not experimentation.
A balanced, forward-looking solution: The current situation calls for immediate approval of the proposed 6-lakh-bale dilution for RMS 2026-27 to avoid procurement disruption. A structured, medium-term dilution framework for food grains, linked to availability and quality benchmarks rather than annual ad-hoc decisions; and strategic repositioning of jute toward higher-value, diversified and export-oriented applications instead of compulsory low-margin bulk packaging.
Such a calibrated approach protects jute farmers’ incomes, ensures fiscal prudence, strengthens Make-in-India manufacturing, and, most importantly, secures India’s food-grain operations without risk, the industry says.
India’s packaging policy must evolve with supply realities. Proactive dilution of JPMA for food-grain packing is not anti-jute; it is pro-farmer, pro-food security, and pro-national interest. Delayed decisions, on the other hand, risk turning a manageable supply mismatch into an operational crisis, says HPDE/PP industry
