ON the initiative of the Assam State Kisan Sabha, the first ever state-level convention of jute cultivators was held in Kolgachia of Barpeta on December 13-14, 2015. The convention began with an open rally on December 13, which was attended by around three thousand people including a large number of jute cultivators. The greater Kolgachia area was once a flourishing place for jute cultivation as the landmass is conducive for the crop. However, the cultivators are not getting remunerative prices any more and many of them have switched over to other crops. Still there are certain low lying areas where the peasants have no other choice but to grow jute as the soil and climate do not suit any other crop. These peasants are still sticking to their traditional cultivation despite suffering losses every year. The Assam State Kisan Sabha has taken up this burning issue of the jute cultivators and organised the first state-level convention in order to draw the attention of the authorities to the plight of these hapless peasants. The open rally was addressed by Shahid Choudhury, the Minorities Welfare Minister of Tripura. In his speech, Choudhury drew a parallel between the policies of the erstwhile Congress-led government and the current BJP-led dispensation and described the two parties as the twin children of Indian capitalist class. Both the parties pursue the same neo-liberal economic policy. This policy has failed to provide economic emancipation to the eighty per cent of the country’s population. When the common people of the country were fed up with the corruption, scams and malgovernance of the UPA government, they found an alternative in the pleasing words of Narendra Modi. However, during the last 19 months, the Modi government has failed to deliver anything substantial for the benefits of the common people. On the contrary, all policies have been taken keeping in view the interests of the corporate sector and large capitalists of the country. Referring to the victory of the Left Front in the Tripura urban local body elections, Choudhury spoke about the various welfare measures adopted by the Left Front government in Tripura. He specifically highlighted the advances in such sectors as education, health, MGNREGA, rural development, irrigation, peaceful co-existence of the tribal and non-tribal people, food security for all citizens, old age pension for all of the unorganised sector workers etc. The rally was also addressed by Uddhab Barman, former MP and former secretary of Assam State Kisan Sabha. He lamented over the miserable conditions of the farmers of the country who constitute the bedrock of the economy. If the country is to advance, then there must be the uplift of the peasants. But that is not happening in our country. The Modi government has further intensified its offensive against the farmers who have been pushed to the margins. The cases of farmer suicide have gone up recently. A veteran Kisan leader and retired principal of Janapriya Higher Secondary School Moynul Hoque presided over the meeting. The objectives of the meeting were explained by Sheikh Amzad Hussain. Chan Mamud Ahmed, secretary of Kolgachia unit of Kisan Sabha, delivered the welcome address on behalf of the reception committee. The open rally was also addressed by Fazlur Rahman, president, and Tiken Das, secretary of Assam State Kisan Sabha. They dwelt upon the problems of the jute cultivators of Assam. On the second day, the delegate session of the convention was held which was attended by two hundred delegates from various districts of Assam. The session began with the hoisting of the AIKS flag by the all India convenor of the jute cultivators within the Kisan Sabha Biplab Mazumdar. The proceeding of the delegate session was conducted by a presidium comprising Fazlur Rahman, Durgeswar Deka, Sheikh Amzad Hussain and Dhaneswar Doloi. Azizur Rahman and Shahjahan were in the minutes committee, and Tiken Das and Manoranjan Talukdar were the members of the steering committee. Biplab Mazumdar inaugurated the delegate session by an elaborate presentation on the overall scenario of the jute cultivation in India. He said that India occupies first place in the production of jute as well as jute-based products. India’s share in the global production of jute is 57 per cent while in case of jute-based goods, the country’s share is 66 per cent. Still, India needs to import jute in order to meet the huge domestic demand. As per the data available, India also tops in the import of jute from abroad. The jute plays a very important role in agriculture and agro-based industries in India. Nearly 40 lakh families of West Bengal, Bihar and Assam are directly dependent upon jute cultivation. A labour force of more than 2.4 lakh is employed in the jute industries. Besides, more than 1.5 lakh people are indirectly involved with jute cultivation through research and development related activities. As per the data released by the Jute Corporation of India (JCI), Assam occupies third place in the country in the cultivation of jute. In 2000-01, the total land area under jute cultivation was 82 thousand hectres and the total production was 10 lakh bales (1 bale=180 kg). In 2014-15, the land area came down to 72 thousand hectres and the production also declined to 65 thousand bales. The main reasons for such a downfall are the lack of remunerative prices, inactivity of JCI, absence of jute mills in Assam and the faulty trade policies of the central government. Uddhab Barman also elaborated on the circumstances under which jute cultivation once flourished in the state, largely due to the untiring efforts of the Muslim peasants who had settled from erstwhile East Bengal during the pre-Independence period. Once there was huge patronising by the government for the jute cultivation. Now the farmers do not get any support from the government. The prices in the open market are very low as compared to the costs of production. In Assam, officially there are 20 jute procurement centres under JCI. However, none of these procures jute from the peasants. Tiken Das, secretary of the Assam State Kisan Sabha, moved the main resolution which basically raised seven demands for the solution of the problems of jute cultivators. The demands include the supply of jute cultivation implements, fertiliser, seeds, pesticides, etc. to the farmers at a subsidised rate, remunerative prices for the crop, the minimum support price of jute should be declared Rs 4,000 per quintal as per the recommendations of the M S Swaminathan Committee, crop insurance scheme, compensation for the damaged crops, mandatory use of jute bags in packaging food items and the declaration of the flood and erosion problems of Assam as national problem. All together eight delegates discussed on the resolution which was unanimously adopted by the delegates. The convention took a pledge to build up strong movements in support of the seven-point charter of demands.