Improved Cultivation and Advanced Retting Exercise for Jute (Jute – ICARE) project was launched in 2015 to popularize and introduce some of the better agronomic practices and recently developed microbial assisted retting among farmers intensively in a few blocks in West Bengal and Assam on pilot basis. <br/><br/>The improved agronomic practices include line sowing of jute using seed drill to increase yield by 10 to 15 percent, weed management in jute by wheel hoeing and nail weeder instead of hand weeding for reducing the cost of weeding and distribution of quality certified seeds at 50 percent subsidy. <br/><br/>Jute-ICARE project is an Initiative of Centre Government to Double the income of Jute Farmers. Central Research Institute for Research in Jute and Allied Fibres developeda microbial consortium called SONA, to enhance the quantity of fibre yield by 20 percent as well as its quality in terms of grade by at least one and half grades. <br/><br/>Also, under the project, regular SMSs are sent in regional languages on improved practices in jute cultivation, to registered farmers. On an average over 50 SMSs are sent to each farmer at various intervals during the project. <br/><br/>Supply of Seed drills and Nail weeders is undertaken for demonstration purpose. As a result the earnings of jute farmers have increased by more than 10,000 rupees per hectare.