Textiles Minister Anand Sharma has said the Government is committed to protect the interests of jute farmers and the industry. Replying to a calling attention motion raised by Saugata Roy and Basudeb Acharia in the Lok Sabha today, he said the Government raised the Minimum Support Price, MSP of jute to two thousand two hundred rupees per quintal, a 32 percent hike compared to the previous year. He said the Jute Corporation of India has already procured two lakh sixty-one thousand bales of jute so far and is now ready to open more purchasing centres wherever necessary. He ruled out any distress sale of jute by farmers due to non-payment of MSP. During the discussion, members demanded that jute bags alone should be allowed for packaging sugar and food grains as was the practice earlier.