The union cabinet in their meeting dated 28th January 2009 has approved the proposal and regularized the subsidy amount of Rs. 147.067 crores. This amount was earlier paid to JCI as subsidy towards cost of maintaining its infrastructure for MSP operation during the period 2003-04 to 2007-08. This has now been accordingly adjusted in the books of account of the corporation. Your corporation has generated cumulative profit of Rs.108.48 crores (before tax) as per annual accounts for the year 2008-09 which is placed before you.

This achievement is possible with the devotion and hard work done by employees and timely decisions taken by your corporation regarding purchase, sales and other activities, in the overall guidance of its Board of Directors and other senior officials of Ministry of Textiles.

The Jute Season 2008-09 experienced a crop size of around 85 lac bales which was less than the demand of the Jute Industry. Therefore there is hardly be any carryover of stock during crop year 2009-10. The Govt. of India had increased Minimum Support Price (MSP) by Rs.195 per quintal for the year 2008-2009 and consequently declared the MSP ex-Assam for TD5 at Rs.1250 per quintal against Rs.1055 per quintal of 2007-2008.The Government of India has also declared Rs. 1375 per quintal MSP for TD5 ex Assam for crop year 2009-10. Consequently, the Office of the Jute Commissioner fixed the MSP for all other locations along with Kolkata landed price for all the grades.

There was an upward trend in the ruling market price of raw jute during 2009 and reached up to level of Rupees 3000 per quintal during June 2009 because of less carryover and reduction in sowing area than the last year. Considering the overall situations, it was foreseen that there will be no MSP during 09-10 even with good crop prospects because of overall shortage in supply and as compared to demand.

The Task Force fixed a target a of 5.7 lakh bales for your Corporation and accordingly MOU was signed with Ministry of Textiles during 2008-09. Therefore, in case of non-MSP, the only other alternative for your Corporation was to conduct limited viable Commercial Operation but considering the past difficulties experienced your Corporation did not go for this venture and achieved the turnover targets with the disposal of its old stocks in the higher ruling market rates and generated the profit. Your corporations already have excellent grading under MOU 2007-08 and also achieved the results for excellent grading as per its annual accounts of 2008-09 which are placed herewith.

The jute season 2008-09 did not bring any bright prospect since there was no carryover of stock as already stated and this trend was further aggravated with reduction in sowing area than the last year. Therefore even after increase of MSP by Rupees 195 per quintal over last year, the MSP operations were very low during 2008-09. The MSP for TD-5 of Ex-Assam was Rs. 1250/per quintal. Your Corporation based on this MSP for the 2008-09 season, procured only a quantity of 184059 quintals (102255 bales of 180 kgs. each) of raw jute.

As I indicated on the last occasion with a conviction that the silver line in the horizon of JCI will surely be broader in the years to come which is evident from the achievements made in 2008- 09. In order to develop the entire jute sector, a thrust in this direction was at the grass root level in the form of training, workshop and demonstration of application of new technology in Sowing, Ribboning and Retting etc. to enhance the quality and quantity of jute. So far we have organized 80 camps and organization of more such camps is under consideration in this year. Consequently, the enlightened jute growers will be able to use the newly constructed Retting Tanks instead of tanks/ponds which are in use so far and become a problem for retting of jute since they are not now easily available because of phenomenal urbanization. Therefore, such newly constructed retting tanks may lead to a unique gift to the growers to adopt new retting technology to improve quality of raw Jute. Till date, construction of 6 retting tanks has been completed for low cost retting in West Bengal through SEVA & SKUS, societies for promoting Organic Jute Retting. Small tanks for ribbon retting and low cost retting are also under consideration.

In continuation to above developmental projects, the Developed High Speed Jute Ribboner machine to be put into use shortly to extract fibre with least effort since the test run is going on with the help of the Mechanical Department, University of Jadavpur. Moreover, the jute growers have been provided an opportunity to sale their produce in a fixed place in the form of Market Yards. Development of Six Market yards in West Bengal is in progress and one of them has been inaugurated along with one Market Yard in Assam on 30th & 31st August, 2009 respectively.

This is a landmark activity taken up by JCI to develop its own infrastructure and to provide modern facilities and market information to Jute Growers. The construction work of 6 Market Yards in WB and one each in Assam and AP shall be completed in the year 2009-10 and work for two Market Yard in Bihar shall also be started soon. The DPC of JCI shall be the part of these Market yards. In addition to this, construction work of DPCs of JCI in 11 places in West Bengal, 3 in Assam and one in Bihar shall be completed in 2009-10. The work at one place each in WB, AP, Orissa and 2 in Bihar shall also be started soon. The JCI may be able to start functioning at these places with shifting of its existing DPCs which are in rented premises and in dilapidated condition.

This will provide all facilities to Jute Growers like purchase platform, Assortment shed, Baling press, weighing scales ,weigh bridge, Godowns for storage of raw jute, Farmers Information Centre with LED Display Board to provide daily arrivals and daily market rates ,Financing facilities through Banks, Office, etc. This will help in marketing of jute of growers and they will be able to avoid middlemen since this will provide an opportunity to sale their produce at the right price. These facilities in DPCs of JCI and in the Market Yards being an exceptional opportunity to both the Corporation and the Jute Growers to transact jute at the MSP or at any other price depending upon the situation which will also reduce the burden of cost of storage and transportation of the Jute Growers & JCI and will also have the facilities of weighment, warehousing etc. within the same complex.

JCI is also making efforts to motivate Self Help Groups( SHGs) of Jute growing states for Raw Jute Marketing with a view to increase their earnings by avoiding the middleman in the process.

The Empowered Committee in their last meeting held in August 2009 has sanctioned additional two Market Yards in North Eastern Region and 15 additional DPCs of JCI with overall increase in budget of 10% for each DPCs to provide all facilities. Thus total layout of JTM MMIII is increased from Rupees 38.60 crores to 59.30 crores. This is only possible with the combine efforts of all employees of corporation who have taken initiatives for early implementation of all the schemes.

I am sure that these striking developmental strides will continue further and bring more prosperous picture in the next time even more than your expectation.

Your corporation has achieved another milestone by hosting its on line software on website of BSNL. This unique software is first time launched by any corporation for on line submission and access of data like daily market arrivals , daily market rates, daily purchase and other information of their 171 DPCs through its 16 Regional offices with its inter connectivity through Head Office and other concerned offices. Any people from anywhere have access to this information with the help of his individual user id and password as authorized by the corporation.

The development of a system software through National Informatics Centre (NIC) shall further continue to computerize and integrate its all operational activities.

The application software is presently running in a centralized server which is hosted in BSNL (Bangalore) and all the ROs and HO accessing this data. Currently daily market arrivals and market rates of different DPCs are coming to HO via their respective ROs through this on line software. Different MIS reports can be generated from this data.

Your Corporation has also developed a new web site as per MoT suggestions and it is also updated on regular basis.

Your Corporation is engaged to accomplish the responsibility shouldered to protect the interest of the jute growers to provide them a remunerative price by timely conducting MSP operation. But this is not the end but a beginning of some other developmental efforts for the jute growers since it is evident from the implementation of the Jute Technology Mission (MM-III). This mission is exclusively for the jute growers and your Corporation has been appointed as the Implementing Agency of MM-III – a matter of pride, indeed. An enlightened agricultural sector means a strong agro-based eco-friendly country like us.

To achieve a sustainable growth and to foster a motivational climate, your Corporation has left no stone unturned for the growth of the valued employees of your Corporation through development programmes, promotion, transfer and also other amenities as per extant Rules of the Corporation. Similarly, your Corporation has taken up the matter of revision of pay scales as per the DPE Guidelines for the employees covered under the Industrial Dearness Allowance and Central Dearness Allowance with the Ministry of Textiles for their approval. A contended employee is the most valuable asset for any Corporation.

The endeavor of your Corporation is to realize and sustain growth on a path of sound business ethics with moderate risks in the extremely competitive business environment. Utmost efforts are made to make the best possible compliance with all legal as well as other obligations in the form of Internal, Statutory and CAG Audits along with the legal opinion which is also sought as and when required.

Your corporation pays respect to the departed soul of those employees who have left us forever and also to the superannuated employees who contributed in every possible way during their tenure for the growth of the Corporation.

You will be happy to know that an invitation was received by your Corporation in the name of the undersigned from the Strategic Management Group of India regarding the Sixth Annual Cambridge Advanced Management Programme in UK based on the contribution made in turning around your Corporation being one of the factors which prompted them to include your corporation as part of their activities.

Similarly a certificate for distinction is awarded to your corporation for participation with distinction in the workshop on Result Based Management Framework organized by Cabinet secretariat on Performance Management on 29th June 2009 with Ministry of Textiles. This is nothing but a feather in the cap of your organization. You will surely appreciate that no good thing never goes unnoticed and is ultimately recognized in the appropriate forum which inspires us further to do the hard work for the growth of the corporation.

I am grateful to various officials of the Government, especially, from the Ministry of Textiles, Office of the Jute Commissioner and Officials of all other jute related bodies. I also take this opportunity to thank the untiring efforts put in by the Employees and the Unions at various levels. With such continued support, I am sure that your Corporation will grow from strength to strength and would be able to expand its areas of activities, scales greater heights of success and better stakeholders delight.