A huge crisis has engulfed jute-growing regions of western Assam, where hundreds of farmers are staring at financial ruin after being unable to sell their produce at local markets, exposing what critics describe as a complete collapse of market access and policy coordination under the BJP-led Assam government.
At the weekly market in Chapar, farmers arrived with harvested jute only to return home empty-handed due to the absence of buyers. Many farmers said they have exhausted savings and borrowed heavily to cultivate jute, but the produce now lies unsold at a time when repayments, household expenses, and social obligations are mounting.
Western Assam has long been recognised as a major jute-producing belt, with farmers across districts cultivating the crop over large tracts of land. However, farmers allege that despite repeated claims of farmer welfare by the BJP government, they neither received adequate institutional support nor benefited from any effective government procurement mechanism. 
According to farmers and traders, the crisis has been triggered by restrictions along the Assam–West Bengal border, where vehicles transporting jute are reportedly being stopped and turned back by the Assam Police. Traders said the blockade has effectively halted the movement of jute to Bengal, the primary market for the produce, forcing them to stop purchases altogether.
“We brought jute to the market, but there are no buyers,” said a farmer from Chapar. “We have taken loans for cultivation. Some of us need money for our daughters’ weddings, others must repay debts. If the jute does not sell, our lives will collapse.”
Traders confirmed that they have suspended purchases due to uncertainty and logistical paralysis. “Our vehicles are being stopped at the border and sent back. Under these conditions, how can we buy jute from farmers?” a trader said, adding that no clear instructions or explanations have been communicated by the authorities.
The Assam government has so far failed to clarify why jute-laden vehicles are being restricted or whether any coordination exists with the West Bengal government to ensure smooth trade flow. The absence of an official statement has further intensified anger among farmers, who say they are paying the price for administrative confusion and policy failure.
The situation has raised questions about the BJP government’s preparedness and responsiveness to agricultural crises. Despite frequent assurances of doubling farmers’ income and strengthening rural markets, farmers on the ground say there is no safety net when market linkages break down.
The government’s failure to anticipate cross-border trade disruptions and establish alternative procurement or price-support mechanisms reflects a lack of planning. Unlike rice or wheat, jute has no visible state-backed procurement system in Assam, leaving farmers entirely dependent on private traders and interstate movement.
Farmer groups have directly appealed to Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, accusing the government of abandoning cultivators at a critical juncture. “Does the minister even know what is happening in his department?” one farmer asked, alleging that the administration has remained indifferent despite the visible distress at markets.
