THENI: When her husband quit his job, M Kaliammal from Theni’s Angamalpuram was worried to the core. The whole economic burden of the family had fallen on the 42-year-old. Her husband, a driver, had to call it a day due to his illness.
Kaliammal was working as an independent tailor, but was forced to do multiple jobs to support her husband and two children. Adding on to her woes were the debt that the family had taken.But her life took a turn on a fine evening of 2021. While returning home from work, she heard a loudspeaker announcement that Kavin Eco-green Banana Fibre factory in Karichapatti near Chinnamanur gives free coaching to women equipping them to make products like bags and purses from banana fibres at their respective homes.
“At that time, I didn’t know that this would give me relief from the economic burden, but I decided to give it a shot,” she recalls. After completing the one-week training, they supported me in purchasing stitching machines and provided raw materials to make products from banana fibre at home,” she says.“For the past two years, I have been earning Rs 600 per day by working for eight hours. I have also provided training to 10 women, who are also earning the same,” she says. Kaliammal is leading a team, which produces banana fibre products worth Rs 5 lakh a month.
“With the income, I have repaid all my debts. Above that, it boosted my self-confidence,” she exclaims.Like Kaliammal, around 150 women from the villages of Chinnamanur, Varusanadu and Cuddalore in Theni district, were trained in manufacturing different products from waste banana stems two years ago.
S Elavarasi from Chinnamanur makes decorative products from the fibre, which include wall hangings and flower vases. She earns Rs 300 per day.
“Most men of this area are seasonal agricultural labourers with unstable income. I heard about the free training camp of Kavin Eco-green Banana Fibre factory and decided to enrol for it,” she says.
“Other women from the village also joined and we are now making a living out of banana fibres. The staff of the factory procure banana stems from local farmers post harvest, cut it into parts and dry it. Later, they extract the stems in specialised machines which are provided to us as raw materials for the products,” she says.
The idea’s credit goes to Jameen Prabhu who returned from his workplace in Bengaluru to his native in Karichapatti near Chinnamanur during the pandemic in 2020. When he saw farmers burning banana stems after harvest, the engineering graduate thought to make good use of it. “I researched about how certain products can be manufactured using banana stems and discussed it with Eco Green Unit Founder SK Babu, who was also the senate member of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,” he says.
He further says Babu invested Rs 5 lakh in procuring machineries and building infrastructure for the factory. Jameen is the Executive Director of Kavin Eco-Green Banana Fibre factory now.
“I started training rural women and provided them with raw materials for production. Initially, we faced problem in convincing people about the products. But now, the orders have increased, especially from different government departments. We get regular orders of bags and files for their workshops and meetings,” he says.
“We are training rural women in Sivaganga and Theni under the state government’s ‘Valuthu Kattovom’ scheme. Over 500 women took the training and started earning too. At present, we are trying to manufacture plastic alternatives. Using banana fibre and vermicompost, we can manufacture reusable bowls and plates. The processed fibre can be used to make paper,” he explains.
“The stems can be used to prepare pickles, juice, and candy. I took training for it from the horticulture department and is currently waiting for an FSSAI licence,” he said.“Government must come forward and encourage more startups on banana fibre products. It should also form a banana fibre board on par with ‘coir board’, which would contribute more to exports,” he says.