COVER STORY
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SISAL FIBRE SPINNING MS. MANALI BHANUSHALI INTERN AT TEXTILE VALUE CHAIN
Highlight of the article Sisal fiber obtained from the plant Agave Sisalana, yields a stiff fibre, traditionally used in making twine, rope and also dartboards. Today Brazil is major world producer of sisal. The first commercial plantings in Brazil were made in late 1930’s and the first sisal fibre exports from there were made in 1946. Sisal plants consists of a rosette of sword-shaped leaves about 1.5 to 2 meters long. Young leaves may have a few minute thin along their margins, but lose them as they mature. The sisal plant has a 7-10 years life time and typically produces 200-250 commercially usable leaves. Traditionally, sisal has been the leading material for agricultural twin (binder twin and baler twin) because of its strength, durability to stretches, affinity for certain dyestuffs, and resistance to deteriorstion in salt water. But the importance of this traditional use is diminishing with competition from polypropylene and the development of other haymaking techniques, while new higher-valued sisal has been developed.
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