BHUBANESWAR: Banamalipur is one of the largest banana-producing regions in Khurda district. Yet, while the fruit harvest brought increased income for the farmers, they were left struggling with an equally intensifying problem of banana waste.
The copious amount of waste generated season after season had turned large patch of areas into landfills.
The situation is not so today as they have found a way to convert the waste into wealth, thanks to social development professionals-turned-entrepreneur Anusuya Jena and her husband Kasinath Jena.
The couple has set upon helping the growers upcycle waste to various products that are much in demand in both rural and urban markets.
Anusuya and Kasinath, natives of nearby Balipatana block, launched the Jayadev Banana Farmers and Artisans Association two years back after realising that farmers of the village were struggling to dispose of the plant after it bore fruit.
“Banana waste is something that was not experimented with in the state till we decided to start a new model of enterprise by taking up manufacturing of a wide range of products from the pseudostem,” said Anusuya.
After several months of research on possibilities around bananas, the couple learnt about extracting fibre from banana stems and its other uses. They decided to approach the MSME Ministry to set up Jayadev Banana Fiber Extraction Cluster in the village where locals could be employed to produce different products from banana waste.
The ministry agreed and they set up the association as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) that would simultaneously look into rural employment and economic development through the venture.
Initially, 350 farmers in and around the village joined the SPV and their number continues to rise. “Our vision was complete utilisation of the plants and to organise farmers to use the crop in a sustainable manner,” said Kasinath.
The cluster today employs 25 to 30 youth and women of the village who extract fibre and manufacture a wide range of products under three categories - food, agriculture and utility items.
The food items include ‘manja’ and banana floral stem pickle, papad, badi, jam, murabba and juice, which are high in dietary fibre, potassium and other micronutrients besides being low in glycemic index. As banana fibre is one-and-a-half times stronger than jute, it is used to make ropes, mats, planters, coasters and other utility items.
Being a zero waste facility, the pulp removed from the fibre is being used to make vermicompost while the liquid expelled during the process is sold as organic fertiliser.
“Earlier, we used to go to farmers to collect the stems but now, they bring this to our unit and get paid. It serves as a dual purpose for them. They get paid for it while their field gets cleaned for the next crop without any expense,” said Anusuya.
The venture has bagged several awards in the last two years. These include the ‘best and innovative’ products award for 2022-23 and 2023-24 at the Sisir Saras fair of ORMAS, a similar award at Pallishree Mela during Puri Rath Yatra this year and best product award during MSME Week in 2023. It was also exhibited at the Indian Science Congress 2023.
Their products were also an instant hit among visitors at the Balijatra in Cuttack which concluded on Saturday.