Banana is a widely cultivated fruit crop in India. It is primarily grown for its fruit but very few know that the pseudo-stem of the banana tree can be utilized to extract fiber to produce various textile products. #agriservices #farmers #innovation #money #fiber #bananatree #fiberandfoods
Context
Potential Industry of banana fiber
Status in India
Process of fiber extraction
The fiber extraction machine
Conclusion
Potential Industry
The Banana is a bulky plant and fruits only once and then dies. Many farmers, after harvesting the fruit yield, dispose of the useless stems by either burning or burying them.
#TexFad, the Ugandan textile startup saw the untapped potential of the bulbous trunks to emerge as a global industry. TexFad is the pioneer in this industry and is now producing various products with the banana fibers such as rugs, carpets, market-testing hair extension products, etc.
“The hair extensions we are making are highly bio-degradable. After using, our ladies will go and bury them in the soil and they will become manure for their vegetables” said #Kimani_Muturi, TexFad’s managing director and founder.
Muturi envisions replacing synthetic fibers with this light, organic material, eventually adding to the sustainability of the environment.
Status in India
India entered the race, in 2018, with the set up of a successful Banana Fiber Extraction Unit for a farmer in Nanded, Maharashtra. This became possible with the technology and practical training provided by the Eco Green Unit in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Eco Green Unit also provides financial subsidies for farmers to purchase machines such as the fiber extraction machine, under the umbrella of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s Make in India project. The Eco Green Unit is committed to igniting a worldwide industry for banana silk.
The Process of Fiber Extraction
The process of making fiber begins with cutting the pseudo-stems into celery-shaped chunks and is left to dry under the sun. Then the chunks are fed to the fiber extractor. This is the most crucial step in the process and the only part of the whole process which requires machinery, other parts being done manually. After the fiber is extracted from the machine, it is again dried until it feels like silky yarn. At last, the yarn is weaved to various products manually such as rugs and carpets.
The Fiber Extraction Machine
The fiber extraction machine is the most essential in the whole process. The machine is towards a slightly costlier side. It ranges between 80,000 INR to 2,50,000 INR, depending upon the manufacturing company and the efficacy of the machine. The machine is easily available offline as well as in various online stores such as #Indiamart and #Tradeindia.
The Central Government of India gives 25%-35% subsidy for the project under Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (for female entrepreneurs) and 15% subsidy under the Unemployed Youth Employment Generation Programme.
Conclusion
The banana fiber industry possesses a huge potential that is yet to be explored. India with a high banana production has a golden opportunity to lead the industry globally by encouraging entrepreneurship ventures and innovations.
By Nitin (UG, GBPUA&T)
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