About 30 percent of household income in the sample comes from jute while about 40 percent accrues from food crops. Over the whole survey, expenditure on food is positively related to income from jute. About 60 percent of domestic expenditure is on food items. This analysis shows that higher incomes from jute lead to higher expenditures on food. Since jute contributes about 30 percent of household income, the impact of jute cultivation on food security of the household is more than evident.
Jute contributes to income and food security in other ways.
Leaves of young jute plants are consumed as a green vegetable in the farm household and are also sold for this purpose. Also, jute sticks are used as cooking fuel and sold for use as raw material in the manufacture of boards and panels etc. Defoliation of jute plants before retting adds to soil nutrients which adds to the productivity of the following crop, particularly potatoes. Income from these items is not included in the analysis of this document, as it was difficult to identify and quantify with any degree of precision. Unlike Bangladesh which exports over 80 percent of its production, export of jute affects the farmers only marginally in India as more than 80 percent of India's production is consumed domestically.