‘Plastics consumption far below global average'

The per capita consumption of plastics in India is far below the average global per capita plastic consumption, despite the country having witnessed a steady growth of 15 per cent over the last five years.

The per capita plastic consumption of the country doubled over the last four years to 8 kg in 2010, according to Mr Ashok Goel, President, PlastIndia Foundation. The growth is, however, lower than the average global per capita plastic consumption of 27 kg, he said.

“The per capita consumption is likely to increase to 10 kg by 2012 and should be at par with the global plastics per capita consumption by 2020 because of the increasing consumption of plastics across sectors such as packaging, infrastructure, agriculture automotives, healthcare and FMCG among others,” he said.

“In agriculture alone, about 17 million hectares will be brought under drip irrigation as stipulated by the Union Agricultural Ministry over the next three-to-four years. This leads to a tremendous potential for use of plastics in irrigation and plastic pipes,” he added.

PlastIndia Foundation has set up a PlastIndia Plasticulture committee to create awareness and persuade farmers to adopt modern irrigation methods. The committee has already taken up two projects in association with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.

In order to facilitate the plastic industry in the country, the PlastIndia Foundation conducts Plastindia exhibitions every three years. The eighth international plastics exhibition and conference conducted by the Foundation would be held during the first week of February, 2012 in New Delhi.

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