Jute Corporation of India’s (JCI) zonal office opened in Visakhapatnam that would facilitate offering Minimum Support Price to the jute growers of South India and Odisha. The zonal office was inaugurated by BJP MP K. Haribabu, at Ramnagar here.

At the inaugural function, he said that it was yet another gift by the NDA government to the region, which had not been mentioned in the AP Reorganisation Act.

He urged the JCI management to popularise jute as an alternative to plastics and create awareness among shops and multiplexes to use jute products.

He also wanted JCI to offer skill development programmes to jute growers and promised support from the Centre if the training was offered at the public sector oil company-sponsored Skill Development Institute at Arilova here.

Jute sector offered several opportunities, to start up a jute industry loans could be arranged through MUDRA Bank and other others banks to small-time entrepreneurs.

He further added that Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao of GMR Group became a successful entrepreneur by starting a jute industry at Rajam of Srikakulam district.