Kerala - Kochi   

Back to nature

NATURE'S BOUNTY: A coconut palm laden with coconuts. — Photo: Vipinchandran

There is nothing to beat nature. Be it food, clothing or shelter, natural products and environment have an irreplaceable slot in modern life.

For instance, there are more takers for products made of coir than ever. The consumption of coir products has increased outside India, according to Coir Board. Similar is the case of coconut. More and more people are interested in consuming tender coconut water. In fact, packaged tender coconut water has added a new dimension to the beverages market.

Making colours from natural products has become an attractive proposition for several entities in trade and industry. Cloth woven from yarn having natural colours has found a good market abroad. Aranya, a natural dye unit in Munnar, is exporting such cloth to Japan and other countries, according to S. Swamiathan, a top official of Tata Tea Limited, the company which has set up the unit.

The Central Coir Research Institute in Alappuzha is engaged in providing natural colours to coir fibre. Natural dyes derived from flora are safe because of their non-toxic, non-carcinogenic and biodegradable nature, according to the institute officials. The demand for natural dyes is reportedly increasing.

A handloom weavers' society in Thiruvananthapuram is known to have developed natural colours from medicinal plants. The cloth prepared by using dyes from medicinal plants is believed to help cure some skin diseases. A Bangalore-based company has been producing trays from coir fibre and bamboo. There are several other units making eco-friendly products across the country. Making use of green energy is another way of returning to Nature. Wind energy could be harnessed in various parts of the country. New technologies are available to generate power from wind. "These new technologies are highly employment intensive and can generate large-scale employment in a State like Kerala with high levels of unemployment," says G.M. Pillai, director general of the World Institute of Sustainable Energy, Pune.

R. RAMABHADRAN PILLAI

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