To ensure superior quality, safety and comprehensive reliability, the Indian ministry of textiles has notified Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for 20 agro textile items that will come into effect from April 1 next year, Rajeev Saxena, joint secretary in the ministry said recently.

The ministry has also sanctioned 11 research and development projects in agro textiles worth ₹13.67 crore for development of innovative products.

He also announced that the ministry will set up a Climate Smart Agrotextile Demonstration Centre to Revolutionize Agriculture through Digitised Microclimate Farming in partnership with SASMIRA.

He was addressing the National Conclave on Agrotech, focused on the importance of accelerating productivity of agriculture and horticulture products in India, organised by the ministry under its flagship scheme National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) in association with the Indian Technical Textile Association (ITTA) and the Synthetic & Art Silk Mills' Research Association (SASMIRA) recently.

India holds a tremendous potential in the global agro textiles market of $12 billion wherein India’s share is a mere 3 per cent, he was quoted as saying in an official release.

There is a need for bio-degradable agro-fibre based agrobags that can be automatically degraded in the soil after the mulching process overtime, leading to planting process and sustainability, Z P Patel, vice chancellor of Gujarat’s Navsari Agriculture University said.