India, Jan. 14 -- The Office of the Jute Commissioner on Tuesday said it has seized around 10,000 quintals of raw jute from multiple districts of West Bengal as part of a crackdown on hoarding and black-marketing.

The seizures were carried out under the Jute and Jute Textiles Control Order, 2016, following inputs that certain traders, balers and stockists were hoarding raw jute to artificially inflate prices. The seized stocks were recovered from 16 godowns across Malda, Murshidabad, North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts, and were found to be in excess of the statutory stock limits prescribed by the Jute Commissioner, according to an official release.

The action was aimed at ensuring equitable supply of raw jute to mills and protecting ...