A study by Mckensey estimates that 30-40 per cent of agricultural produce in India goes waste, which amounts to a whopping Rs. 12,000 crore annually. One only has to look at the way the entire supply chain of food production and its distribution is handled. OUR POLYMERS BUREAU Food crisis world over presents a very grim scenario. Nearer home, things are no better with spiraling prices and inflation at its highest, having crossed 11 per cent and playing havoc with the already beleaguered economy. Combating inflation would be a daunting task for the Government. In so far as containing prices are concerned, one could at least consider causes that are both tangible and controllable. One only has to look at the way the entire supply chain of food production and its distribution is handled. A study by Mckensey estimates that 30-40 per cent of agricultural produce in India goes waste. This amounts to a whopping Rs 12,000 crore annually! Besides the lack of efficient storage and transportation system, it is the manner in which food grains as well as sugar are packed and stored that significantly contributes to such huge losses. Most of the cereals, pulses, oilseeds, flour and sugar are packed in jute bags which are highly vulnerable to pilferage, damage during handling and transportation and most of all, deterioration in quality due to contamination. We use jute bags despite having functionally superior and cost effective medium of packaging namely plastic woven sacks (PWS). PWS currently are the preferred choice the world over for food product packaging, with most of the countries using PWS for packaging of food grains and sugar. It is interesting to note that all food items coming as aids from the USA and other donors to African and Asian countries are packed in PWS. What's more, almost entire exports of sugar and food grains from India are also in PWS! The reasons for opting for synthetic packaging medium are well known and established. Some of these, even at the cost of repeating are worth citing viz. synthetic sacks are lighter, perform better against seepage / pilferage / contamination and are more hygienic. More importantly, these are considerably cheaper than jute sacks. One might wonder, when PWS used for bulk packaging of food have been found far superior than jute bags on all counts viz. eco & environment friendly, energy savings, hygienic and above all highly cost effective, why are food grains and sugar still being packed in jute bags in our country? Well, the answer lies in the Jute Packaging Materials Act 1987, which mandates compulsory packing of food grains and sugar in jute sacks. The sole aim of the Act was to safeguard the interest of both the jute farmers and mill workers. But, considering all the pros and cons as outlined above, it apparently has not achieved the