New Delhi: Amid the controversy over plastics vis-a-vis jute as a packaging material, Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa on July 18 hailed the plastic processing sector for providing "quality and cost-effective" packaging material.

"We feel proud that the plastic industry has been able to meet the packaging requirements of the ever-increasing industrial and agricultural production in the country," he said after releasing a report on "Life Cycle Analysis of HDPE/PP Woven Sacks vis-a-vis Jute/Paper Sacks".

The minister, however, added that in the recent past there has been a vigorous campaign by environmentalists demanding a ban on the use of plastics. "The adverse publicity to plastics has been mainly due to the littering habits of the people and ineffective collection of waste," he said.

Among other things, the report has recommended that government withdraw compulsory use of any form of packaging saying "use of jute in packaging under Jute Packaging Materials Act, 1987 should be repealed immediately".

On the study report by the Centre for Polymer Science and Engineering of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Dhindsa said it would "enlighten the public to understand the relevance and importance of plastics as packaging material".

The report points out that though jute is a natural product, its cultivation requires fertilisers, insecticides and chemicals that involve a number of other energy-intensive process and related "health hazards".

PTI