Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 15, 2007
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Saturday, Dec 15, 2007 ePaper |
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Tamil Nadu
Use of fertilizers impacts human health Ecological balance of cultivable land affected KARUR: The means for tapping the emerging and expanding organic textile market, advantages of entering the arena for a more profitable business and the process of obtaining organic product certification were discussed at a workshop organised by the Textiles Committee and the Karur Textile Manufacturer Exporters’ Association here on Thursday. Explaining the facets of organic cotton cultivation, Deputy Director of the Textiles Committee V. Velmurugan said the crop grown without the use of synthetic chemicals (such as pesticides, growth regulators and defoliants) and fertilizers — from a chemically-dependant to more biologically sound approaches — constituted its main features. Cotton cultivation the world over was associated with heavy use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Grown on an estimated three per cent of the total cultivable area of the globe, it used up roughly 25 per cent of the insecticides consumed by all crops. The sustained use of chemicals and fertilizers had a profound impact on human health and environment and the effects had been clearly documented. It had affected the ecological balance of cultivable land. Fortunately, there was positive movement forward towards limiting and eliminating chemically cultivated cotton. The world was now slowly accepting the change-over to organic cotton products, Mr. Velmurugan said. Exporters must keep themselves abreast of the emerging needs of the global market and adapt themselves to the situation in order to remain active players. Resource person Binay Kumar Choudhury of Central Union Certification, a premier certification agency, said the residual chemical in the final product caused health hazards to farmers and consumers. To stem the tide, there was a global movement on the use of organic cotton-based products, including clothing for men, women and children, personal and health care products, home furnishing, fabrics and diapers. Dr. Choudhury said many firms were seeking comparative advantage in quality and were “greening” themselves by adopting organic cotton products. Moreover, certification added credibility to the final products and assured the buyer of their organic status, encouraging premium prices. Organic certification standards ensured that they were met during cultivation and manufacturing through verification by an independent organization, besides communicated compliance to consumers through appropriate labelling. Products manufactured from certified organic cotton (certified through out the cotton supply chain to ensure that the organic status was ensured) were increasingly sought after and there were signs that the products were moving out of the niche market into the mainstream clothing and textile market.
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