UNTAPPED POTENTIAL OF AGRI-RESIDUE

India is predominantly an agrarian economy. According to the 2011 Census, 61.5% of its population is dependent and involved in agriculture, and it contributes 17% to the GDP. Annually, India generates 500 MT of crop residue (stalk, straw, leaves) with wide regional variability. The highest crop residue estimate was recorded for Uttar Pradesh (60 Mt). Other high crop residue producing regions were Punjab (51 Mt) and Maharashtra (46 Mt). The residue is used as animal fodder, cooking fuel, organic manure and animal bedding. Even after all these alternative usage, there is a surplus of 234 MT of residue (roughly 46% of gross residue).

STRAWCTURE ECO is a construction company that sees the potential of using this surplus residue and turns it into a green building material which addresses the problem of stubble burning and affordable housing crisis at the same time.

Our company is based on Circular Economy model and we want to promote, manufacture and source only building material that creates no wastage at the end of its building life cycle. India is a diverse country and its cropping pattern reflects that as well. We see that as an opportunity to utilise different kinds of crop fibers to make various building material that has applications ranging from furniture, dry wall to flooring applications. A good business model is one that inherently has the potential to create more jobs and entrepreneurs. The model can increase farmers’ income by 20%, reduce their top soil damage due to stubble burning and create thousands of green jobs in every state. Currently, 200 billion clay burnt bricks are used annually in India. To substitute that with dry agri- fiber panel walls, we need thousands of decentralised units manufacturing such panels similar to brick kilns. Demand and supply is a classic chicken and egg problem. Unless there is mass scale production, economies of scale are not achieved which won’t make a product economically viable.

We are aware we can’t do it alone. If farmers, existing and new manufacturers, builders and architects come together to create an ecosystem aligning raw material availability, production and market, we believe we can make a dent. What can really give this a real push is government and policy support to tie it all together.

Shriti Pandey

Founder & CEO