The ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres (CRIJAF), Barrackpore, aims to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi’s dream to make India clean and healthy by replacing plastic with natural fibres
Mahatma Gandhi had dreamt of a cleaner and healthier India and he emphasised on it time and again. To ensure hygiene, waste management and sanitation across the nation, the Swachh Bharat Mission was a step taken towards fulfilling of this dream. The Green India Mission also came to be known as a national mission under eight missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). It recognises that India today is battling against a whole lot of eco-challenges, and the ever-rising carbon footprints have soiled the environment canvas like never before.
In an effort to avoid inconvenience, we are now increasingly opting for cheap and easily available polythene over eco-friendly bags, and forgetting that every easiest path does come with a consequence. About 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags used worldwide every year, adds tons of carbon emission into the air; and many of these bags used, ultimately make their way into rivers and oceans, killing thousands of animals, marine lives, and also leaching into our own food chain at some point. Apart from ending up as unsightly litter and landfills, they very often wreak havoc by clogging drains and causing urban flash floods. The fact that a single polythene bag may take over a thousand years to decompose compounds the problem. It is almost as if we are smothering our planet in an ever tightening plastic trap.
The ICAR-CRIJAF has been mandated to undertake research and developments on six natural fibre crops like jute, mesta, flax, ramie, sisal, sunnhemp which are versatile, biodegradable and carbon-neutral, relatively inexpensive substitute for polythene, said Dr Gouranga Kar, Director of the Institute. Jute plants are a huge source of renewable bio-mass and sequester 3.80 tonnes of carbon per hectare from the atmosphere in only 120 days, which is several times higher than that of trees. Dr AK Singh, principal scientist of the institute, said that jute crop sheds about 15 tons of green leaves, which helps in maintenance of soil fertility.
The sunnhemp can be used as green manure crop and minimise nitrogen requirement by 50 per cent and also potential to reduce nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. The biomass jute, mesta, ramie can also be used as paper-pulp, thus use of tree-based paper pulp will be reduced. It will help to make India greener by keeping a check on deforestation. Jute sticks are a cheap source for biofuel, charcoal, coarser paper and durable hardboard as a substitute of wood thereby also helping in reducing deforestation.
Due to its biodegradable nature, natural fibre products are 100 per cent safe for environment and will play a tremendous role to replace plastics from our planet, said Dr Satpathy, Head, Plant Protection Division of the institute. The institute has developed high-yielding varieties and suitable agro-technology to promote and upscale natural fibre production in the country, which will not only help to meet domestic demand to build self-reliant India but also will have the potential to earn more foreign exchange through export.
Thus, ICAR-CRIJAF is determined to fulfill Gandhiji’s dream to build ‘’clean and green’’ India by replacing plastics with biodegradable natural fibres. Let’s aim for a better, cleaner and greener India using natural fibre products and work together to achieve it.