Kenya’s textile industry will soon have a very rare raw material to convert it to favourable outcome as Kenya’s research team along with Chinese textile manufacturers has found a wild fruit Calotropis procera, which grows in arid regions (Baringo, Kajiado and Makueni) and after a research it was found to produce good quality fibre. This fibre is regarded as unique, surpassing the quality of cotton and silk.
A Team of Researcher are spending time to explore the fruit’s fruitful results so that it can be domesticated and can be put alongside the cotton and silk.
As per Dr. Alice Muchugi, a lead researcher, it can be a super fibre whose quality will fall between Cotton and Silk. In order to conduct the research scientists are buying the fruit at the price of Sh1,000 (USD 987).
According to Joyce Kasyoki, a project manager at World Agroforestry Centre (Icraf), an agency coordinating the study, Calotropis procera from Makueni is of highest quality and that the quality of fibre can enhanced through genetic engineering and once it is done, the farmers are allowed to grow and sell the fruit in the market.
Textile manufactures will soon have a new raw material to choose from alongside cotton, silk or wool after an ongoing study on Calotropis procera, a wild plant, returned favourable results.
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