Nettle or bicchu buti grows wild as undergrowth particularly in Almora and Chamoli districts in Uttarakhand a state in northern part of India. The stem fibers are pliable and used to weave knit fabric. It was lying unexplored until 7-8 years back, when on realizing its potential in the field of textiles, many organizations in the region initiated research and development activities on the possibilities of handloom based product development in nettle.

Countries like UK and Germany, have been involved in the development of nettle since 1999, and have made considerable growth in this direction. A number of researches have been conducted not only in developing commercial textiles using nettle, but also in the cultivation and propagation of the crop in the most sustainable manner.

 

Significant development has been made in the processes of cultivation and fibre extraction by many renowned European organizations, institutes and companies. Himalayan Nettle is a grass species, the plant is found in the upper reaches of Himalayas, the plant can attain a height of up to 12 to 18 feet in height. Different pockets of Uttarakhand has traditionally used the plant fiber for making domestic products like ropes and other rope based products such as slippers used locally called as Chappel, Ghana, Natesh, Jotan. Over the years these raw material for these products has been replaced by plastic. Nettle fiber was widely used for thousands of years as a source of fiber for bowstrings, fishing nets and lines, snares, and cordage. It is an annual/perennial plant and grows to 3 meter.