when your columnist received the Ministry of textiles (Governemtn of India) invite to participate in "TechnoTex 2009: Providing Better, Secure and Sustainable Life – workshop and exhibition on strengthening government-industry-consumer partnership in Agrotech and Oekotech", the impression was that the industry was perhaps keen to expand the area under jute and cotton cultivation. Textiles bring to mind the ‘warp’ and the ‘weft’ and the wide range of fabric- from Khadi to silk to polyester in all the myriad colours of the rainbow and perhaps spindles, charkhas and looms ! This in turn leads one to the onset of Industrial Revolution, the establishment of the factory system in Manchester and Lancashire, and the deliberate effort on the part of east India Company to wipe out the indigenous handloom industry which provided livelihood security to lakhs of families in every nook and corner of the country.
However, Technotex turned out to be quite different from what AgriMatters had expected it to be. This was a seminar to promote the use of textiles in agricultural production, and allied activities like fisheries, animal husbandry, horticulture, food preservation and packaging. And what a wide range of products , and even wider span of ideas that emerged from this workshop which brought together several ministries, corporates, academe, farmers and activists together at New Delhi on Friday, the 18th September,09.
The lead presentation was made by SASMIRA (synthetic and art silk Mills research association ), a professional body with over sixty years of applied research to promote the application of textiles in non conventional sectors. The centre is now being supported by the Ministry of Textiles as one of the centers for excellence and AgriMatters would like to acknowledge that it has done remarkable work in understanding the needs of the agricultural sector, and finding out some cost effective and ecologically sustainable ideas which improve the quality of the produce and extend the shelf life besides reducing the water requirement. This has been accomplished by first understanding the factors that affect agriculture production, viz sunlight, water, climatic conditions like hail, wind chill, storm, birds, insects, pests, weeds and the post harvest handling of produce , including storage and packaging. If this list was not comprehensive enough, there is another , with focus on non woven textiles – mulch mats, cattle shed underlays, sacks, sunscreens, shade nets, green house nets, plant nets , harvesting nets, and windshield fabrics. Then there are the state-of-art ‘polymer fibre balls’ which can function as soil and fertilizer substitutes by providing the plant with essential nutrients for a healthier and better growth.
Many of these applications have already found a very wide acceptance, and are being tried out by farmers across the country, even though Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu seem to have made substantially greater progress than the rest of the country. The concentration of the textile industry in the West and South, and also the relatively greater salience of horticulture in the farm production strategy in the region are the contributing factors. But lessons learnt here can be easily applied to the rest of the country. If the trend setters, had the first mover advantage, the others have the benefit of quality and cost standardization and fewer risks !
The most visible symbol of Textiles in agriculture is perhaps the Green House. When it was first established in India, over two decades ago, it appeared as a bit of an anomaly : here was a roof over plants, which was far superior to the barn and the cow shed, and in many case, even better than the roof over the farmers head ! The costs were high, the benefits uncertain, and only the very well established farmers or governemtn farms could take the risk. The first green house spread over an acre was established at an expense of Rs 25 lakhs. This model could have never worked in our country, where landholdings are mostly marginal and small, and therefore customization of technology to the Indian conditions was the condition precedent for its successful adaptation . First and foremost among these was the scaling down of size. Green Houses are ubiquitous in several parts of the country today – the costs have come down and the market shows a clear segmentation in three categories -the bottom of the pyramid becoming affordable(Rs 100-125 per square meter) which can be rigged up anywhere ,anytime by using bamboo poles and a protective covering. This intervention can improve yields in leafy vegetables ,especially capsicum by over 100%, and pays for itself at the end of the first short duration crop. Then there are the medium category Green houses with PVC pipes, plastic films and air circulating fans and a cost of Rs 450-500 per square meter. This is used by most floriculture growers and has helped boost farmers incomes.
Finally there are the top end models which have provisions for control of temperature and humidity, but the costs can go up to Rs 1500-2000 per square meter, and are used by tissue culture labs, seed producers and those growing exotic flowers and fruits. The fact that all three segments are growing shows the resilience and strength of technical textiles.
The many other applications include the use of textile based pipes, drip irrigation structures and mats for reducing the water evaporation from the soil, and keeping temperature in control. Used in conjunction with drip irrigation technologies, the requirement of ground water can be substantially reduced. This opens new vistas for areas which are currently under mono cropping system, but have soil types which make them amenable for perennial horticulture crops.
The use of textured packaging can increase the shelf life and this again gives better value to the farmer. There are special ‘breathing wraps’ that can ensure better ripening, and premium price, in both he national and global market. Then there are reflective textiles which direct sunlight to the desired areas , thereby speeding up growth. The applications are quite extensive, but the challenge is not so much in the development of technologies as it is in the adaptation to the farmers’ field. Now that the Union governemtn is encouraging NREGA work for horticulture on lands of marginal, small, BPL and SC/ST farmers, and there is no dearth of funds under RKVY , the ability to upscale these exemplars is phenomenal. AgriMatters hopes that there will be positive feedback to report in these columns over the next few months.