JUTE is the oldest cash crop of eastern India. It is a natural coarse fibre, made from the stems of a tropical plant and used for making rope/yard and woven into sacking, hessian, etc. Raw jute, as it is known in trade, comprises jute and mesta fibres. Jute fibre is obtained from two plants species, such as Corchorus Capsylaris (white jute) and Corchorus Otitoruus (tossa jute). The plant species Hibiscus sabdariffa var, altissima yield mesta fibres. Besides, there is another type of fibre known as bimli but not in the same species of jute.

KISAN jathas, organised by the West Bengal Provincial Krishak Sabha (AIKS), traversed through nearly 30,000 villages for five days, interacting with people, raising burning issues and building the confidence for greater struggle in the days to come. This was a unique programme with thousands of activists of peasant movement participating and thousands others attended. On their way, the jathas braved terror, intimidation and direct attack.

THE Odisha Khet Mazdoor Union and the CITU Odisha state committee have jointly organised a state convention of migrant workers at Balasore on September 27. This programme was organised as per the call given by the recently held 7th all India conference of the All India Agricultural Workers Union.

THE All India Kisan Sabha held a consultative meeting of sugarcane farmers to address the different issues faced by these farmers. The meeting was held at BTR Bhavan, New Delhi on July 23, 2014. Around 40 Delegates from eight sugarcane growing states participated in the meeting. AIKS president Amra Ram presided over the meeting. AIKS general secretary Hannan Mollah placed the introductory remarks.

THE AIKS Maharashtra state council meeting that was held at the Comrade B T Ranadive Smarak Bhavan at Belapur in New Mumbai on June 30, 2014 under the chairmanship of AIKS state president Dada Raipure, took the following five major decisions:

1. Organise statewide mass actions from July 8 (Jyoti Basu birth centenary) to July 15 on the grim issue of drought and of compensation to peasants whose crops were destroyed by hailstorms, demanding access to water, food, employment, fodder, seeds and fertilizers, and the waiver of loans, electricity bills and students’ tuition fees;