The Ministry of Textiles (MoT) strongly emphasises technical textiles, and the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) has been instrumental in growing this segment.
Working at the grassroots level, MoT in collaboration with the Synthetic & Art Silk Mills’ Research Association (SASMIRA) have come up with a Climate Smart Agro-Textile Demonstration Center in Navsari (Gujarat)
Over the course of three years, spanning eight crop cycles, SASMIRA will manage the 15,000 square metre facility. In addition to medicinal nurseries, the facility features live applications of Agro-Textile technology, including pond liners, crop covers, vermicomposting beneath shade nets, ground covers (natural and HDPE), and shade nets (par-perfect, photo-selective, and vertical farming applications).
The centre is equipped with IoT-based monitoring systems to track real-time conditions, crop yield, and growth performance.
It is expected to motivate farmers to integrate agro-textile technologies into their practices for enhanced agricultural outcomes.
In terms of encouraging the use of agro-textiles as revolutionary solutions for the agriculture industry, this is regarded as a major advancement. These include live product demos of Agro-Textile goods, their uses, and hands-on training modules to assist in incorporating these innovations into regular farming operations. They are intended to empower and educate farmers.
At the center’s opening, Union Minister of Jal Shakti C.R. Patil underlined the vital role that agro-textiles play in allowing sustainable farming, enhancing agricultural productivity, and saving resources.
The Ministry’s goal of moving India’s agricultural industry towards sustainable and creative solutions and promoting technical textiles under the NTTM is in line with this approach.
Joint Secretary Rajeev Saxena of the Ministry of Textiles emphasised the Ministry’s dedication to promoting the use of technical textiles in farming.
