Abstract

Green fibres like flax, jute, sisal, kenaf, mesta which has been used for more than 8000 years are the present and the future raw materials not only for the textile industry but also for modern eco- friendly composites, cosmetics, medicine, food, fodder, bio- polymers, agro fine chemicals and energy. Potentially under optimum cultivation conditions they cause little or no detrimental effect on the eco- system and they can be grown in different climatic zones. Organically cultivated, they recycle the carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere. In the present study the current status of the cultivation process, harvesting and retting methods of Hibiscus Sabdariffa (mesta) are studied and documented along with its current uses and socio economic factors influencing the production of the crop. The crop is cultivated in the most organic and efficient way with the sowing happening in the month of July, with the onset of monsoon. Special organic compost is prepared as manure and applied to the crop at regular intervals. Harvesting is done individually in the month of December with the help of a sickle. The plant is not uprooted rather cut at the bottom with utmost care to avoid any damage to the fibre. The crop is planted for the calyces and the leaves which are consumed as food, while the stalks are the by- product so the process of retting takes its own time. Water retting is carried out with beat and jerk extraction method and then the fibres are dried in sun. The current scenario is fortified with the farmer’s interview about various socio economic factors which revealed the reality of farming. The younger generation is not interested in farming and the farmers don’t wish to involve their children in farming either. Hence, is the future of natural fibres in safe hands!