Agriculture Industry
Aiding an agricultural economy with plasticulture The adoption of plastic films in agriculture ensures better yield and food security, says Angelica Buan in this report.
Plasticulture, which is the use of plastic films in agriculture, serves various purposes to improve farm yields
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JUNE / JULY 2017
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he agricultural sector, the backbone of an economy, especially of developing countries, contends with various challenges, including climate change, rising population, food waste, agricultural sustainability, and more. A population increase to 9 billion by 2050 requires 60% increase in production yield, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has predicted. Climate change has been recognised to impact crop yields. The Paris Agreement on climate, adopted in December 2015, is a global initiative to dispatch measures against climate change. It also takes into account the importance of food security in the “international response to climate change, as reflected by many countries focusing prominently on the agriculture sector in their planned contributions to adaptation and mitigation”, FAO stated. Food security or access to sufficient and nutritious food is a major pursuit for the world’s population. UK’s AMI Consulting, in its 2014 report on the agricultural film market in Europe, hints that food security for an expanding population calls for curbing food waste and improving food production, to cite a few recommendations. Better yields and more profits for farmers with films Environmental issues not only hound climate change, they also impact soil where crops are grown. Pollution and erosion, as well as the use of fertilisers are found to contribute to the degrading of soil, thus shrinking the size of the world’s arable land. A study by the University of Sheffield’s Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures showed that in the past 40 years the world has lost more than 30% of its arable land due to the above factors. Better farming techniques, combined with the use of plastic films, are seen as a practical means to improving farm production and rendering cost-cutting, time-saving and efficient production. Plasticulture, which is the use of plastic films in agriculture, serves various purposes to improve farm yields. For example, plastics conserve natural resources needed by crops, such as water, nutrients, fossil fuels, and even sunlight as well as protecting crops from weeds and insects. The use of plastic films also ensures that vegetables and fruits are grown regardless of the season, and yet, yielding better quality. Plasticulture is a billion dollar industry. The agricultural films market is anticipated to exceed US$12 billion by 2022, as underscored in a report by Global Market Insights (GMI). The linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) films, cited in the report, exhibit properties like moisture blocking and flexibility and are favourable for use during harsh climate conditions and scarce water supply. Priced affordably, the agriculture films are expected to garner significant demand from the growing agricultural sectors and agro-businesses in Indonesia, India, Thailand and Malaysia. Meanwhile, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) films are widely adopted in fumigation and mulching applications. The market application includes the horticulture and floriculture industries of the Middle East region, GMI cited.