Exploration of Profitability in The Cultivation of Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaudich.) Fibre for Sustaining Rural Livelihood

Abstract

Ramie or (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaudich.) is one of the most valuable bast fibre yielding crops of the world. Ramie fibre is much more superior than the other commonly used plant fibres like jute, cotton, flax, etc. in terms of bundle tenacity, wet strength, fineness, ultimate fibre length and the length to breadth ratio. It is one of the strongest but stiffest bast fibre due to its high cellulose to hemicellulose ratio which favours a high degree of cellulose crystallinity. Besides having the unique physical properties, its silklike appearance and anti-microbial property of the fibres as well as the medicinal value and antioxidant property of the ramie leaves make the plant utmost valuable in the International market. China is the chief ramie producer followed by Brazil and Philippines. In India there is a huge scope to exploit this fibre economically to get maximum benefit. The sandy loam soil with slopping land and hot-humid weather conditions that are required for ramie cultivation is available in the North Eastern parts of India. The foothills of Himalaya and the Brahmaputra valley of Assam, along with Western Ghats and Arunachal Pradesh have great natural resource to promote ramie cultivation. There is a great demand of ramie fibre in the market but the production is not enough to meet the need. This is an opportunity for the Indian farmers to start ramie cultivation in a wide range besides the regular cultivation of jute, cotton, mesta, flax, sisal, etc. As ramie has an inherent property to tolerate a wide range of temperature, soil and climatic factors, it isn’t difficult to cultivate ramie in a large scale. Moreover, ramie being a perennial crop helps in soil conservation and can also be intercropped with other plants to get the economical benefit of both the crops. Scientific cultivation of ramie, therefore, can pave a new path for sustaining rural livelihood.