JUTE AND ALLIED FIBRE CROPS IN INDIA: PRODUCTION, GROWTH, BREEDING AND SEED CHAIN.

Jute and allied fibres viz., mesta including kenaf, roselle, ramie, sunhemp, sisal and flax are important industrial crops and the sources of livelihood of about 4 million farm families and supports direct employment to about 3.7 lakh workers. They accounted for about 0.36%, 0.51% and 0.45 of the gross-, net cropped area and total arable land, respectively, in India during 2018-19. The contribution of jute crop to the global acreage and production during 2018 was 49.4% and 53.7%, respectively. Its contribution to global production was reduced to 50.5% during 2019. The present paper analyses the growth of jute and allied crops during 1950-51 to 2020-21; scenario of area, production and yield; breeding and seed production during 2010-11-2021-22. The Compound Annual Growth rate was 0.21%, 1.52% and 1.31%, respectively, for area, production and yield during 1950-51 to 2020-21. The area and production of jute and allied fibres have decreased substantially during the last 12 years despite the enhancement of yield ha-1 from 2197 kg ha-1 in 2010-11 to 2709 kg ha-1 in 2021-22. Of the total 310 varieties of fibre crops (including cotton) released and notified during 2011-23, 43 were of these crops. In jute, leading varieties in the seed chain contributing highest to the breeder seed indent, such as Navin, Suren (JRO 204) and JRO 128 were old released during 1978, 2007 and 2002, respectively, and very old varieties released up to 1995 had a considerably high share in breeder seed indent during 2021-22. During the period under study (2014-15 to 2021-22), there was no indent for breeder seed production of mesta except in 2016-17 and 2021-22 and against the indent of 0.5 q for two varieties, Satyen (JRKM 9-1, released in 2016) and Central Kenaf 2 (JBMP 2, released in 2016), 1.7 q breeder seed was produced during 2016-17. But, during 2021-22 only 22 kg breeder seed against the indent of 9 kg for three varieties HC7910 (Ujjal), released during 1977; HS 4288, released during 1967 and JRM 5 (Shrestha), released during 2010, was produced. In sunhemp, only five varieties, SUIN 037, SUIN 053, JRG 610 (Prankur), PAU 1691 and Chhindwara 1 (Jabalpur 1) were indented for breeder seed production from 2016-17 to 2021-22 released during 2013, 2009, 2015, 2008 and 1973, respectively. Therefore, old varieties for jute and sunhemp need to be replaced in the seed chain. However, no systematic seed production is being followed for other fibre crops like mesta, ramie, sisal and flax. Public sector organizations contributed only up to 30% of the seed requirement of jute in the country. Therefore, there is an urgent need to increase the share of the public sector in seed production to ensure 'seed security' as well as its affordability and timely availability. The possibility should also be explored for jute seed production in areas close to the proximity to the area of cultivation by incentivizing seed production. Systematic seed/planting materials production of other crops such as ramie, sisal and flax that have very low acreage but important fibre crops with specific niches of cultivation should also be initiated / strengthened to ensure availability of quality seed/planting materials to the farmers. Since these are industrial crops, therefore, there is an urgent need to develop linkages with private sector especially textile industry, Farmers' Producing Organizations and Non-Government Organizations for enhancing production of seed/planting materials and also expanding them in new niches by developing suitable models and incentivizing production of fibres from these crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]