Banana plantation converts waste into tissue paper, pads while farmers earn extra.

When we think of cotton fibre, we know about how cotton is cultivated just for the sole purpose of making fabric. A cotton plant has no other significant importance apart from that. But when we consider a banana tree, it's uses are varied. The fruits, leaves and stem juice - all have significant usage in multiple ways. So, if some part of this banana tree could be drawn into fibres, how excellent would that be! One need not use separate or additional resources towards a cultivation for drawing fibre. That's what Mehul Shroff has exactly thought. Without separate cultivation, usage of extra resources like water and fertilizers, a new product can be drawn from the existing cultivation. Not just this, taking out fibre out of banana trees also checks the amount of waste generated out of the banana cultivation. When Mehul made this idea, he couldn't stop himself but think of sustainable life on earth and environmental conservation. 

A Close Observation That Led To A Change: 

Mehul, who hails from Burhanpur in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh would notice huge waste gathered after the banana plantation is harvested. People used fruit and leaves and discard the banana stems that piled up as waste. Though juice is extracted out of banana stem, the discarded stems would still make up to huge amount of waste. Mehul observed that his hometown has banana cultivation done on 20,000 hectares of fields and witnessed hundreds of tons of banana tree waste produced every year. That is when Mehul thought of reusing this waste. This waste, that primarily consisted of banana stems, could be possibly made into something - Mehul thought. He began his research. 

A Detailed Study And Its Outcome: 

Mehul thought of the possibilities of making eco-friendly paper and cloths using banana stems with the idea he had about them which said that they are rich in natural fibre. He then spent long hours researching about the same and learnt the microbiology of banana trees. The outcome of his research told him that banana stem can be used in manufacturing cloth and paper products. This made Mehul lay foundations to Shroff Industries that manufactures recyclable and bio-degradable products from the discarded banana stems. 

Extracting Fibres From Banana Stems - The Products That Result: 

Firstly, discarded banana stems are collected and brought to Mehul's factory, the Shroff Industries. They are cut vertically into half and sheets are separated. These sheets are processed through several machines to extract fibres, both long and short, out of them. These fibres are then sun-dried to make them suitable for makimg different products. As banana fibres contain huge amount of cellulose, they easily absorb liquid. Thus, these fibres are used in making eco-friendly sanitary pads that just take 200 days to decompose. Banana fibres are also used to make clothes, tissue and paper. This can save close to 2,70,000 trees per day across the world. Basket and broomsticks can also be made out of the waste of hard fibers. 

The Incredible Advantages: 

The whole process of making banana fibres not only helps cut down on extra resources but also provides some extra income to the farmers of Bundelkhand and nearby areas. It is because, they can sell the waste from their banana crop to these industries. It will further reduce the burden on farmers in dealing with high-level waste dumps. This technique also reduces waste, reuses it thereby helps the environment. One job, multiple benefits! 

When people like Mehul become the pioneers in bringing about a positive change, we can also become the warriors and contribute our part to the same. We wish the products made of banana fibre receive wide recognition and may people start replacing those that take hundreds and thousands of years to degrade with these earth-friendly products. Let the earth smile, let her breathe.