The Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) has urged the Centre to urgently intervene to control spiralling raw jute prices and ensure availability of the fibre, proposing a complete ban on raw jute trading by private traders after March 31. In a letter to jute commissioner Amrit Raj, the association said raw jute availability with mills has sharply decreased, with stocks declining by around 1.25 lakh bales in December 2025 alone, even as prices surged to an unprecedented Rs 13,000 per quintal for South Bengal TDN-3 grade. The situation has forced several mills to shut down or drastically cut production, rendering over 75,000 workers jobless, the association claimed. To arrest price escalation, IJMA proposed that traders, dealers, stockists and agencies be given time till March 31 to liquidate their raw jute stocks, after which any private trading in raw jute would become illegal. During this period, mills are expected to consume around 12-15 lakh bales, enabling them to hold stocks