Banana stem could become the latest raw material for making cloth, home furnishing and even currency notes. The National Institute of Design (NID) has been considering such possibilities, stressing on the need for eco-friendly solutions, The Times of India has reported.
If this becomes a reality, it could be a boon for Gujarat, which is one of the leading producers of bananas, growing around 5,000 metric tonnes of bananas every year.Banana stem could become the latest raw material for making cloth, home furnishing and even currency notes. The National Institute of Design (NID)#
NID has been in consultations with the Gujarat government, which liked the idea and will sign a pact to increase remuneration for banana producers, the report said.
Professor Pradyumansinh Jhala, head of the Innovation Centre for Natural Fibres at NID, said that that Gujarat government has shown keen interest in the idea to maximize the use of the banana plant.
"NID was actively finding new fibre sources and had been roped in by the Union Ministry of Textiles to innovate and come up with new kinds of fabric. We have since come up with the idea of using banana fibres to make cloth and paper," Jhala said.
"The fibres can be extracted from the stem of banana plants. As Gujarat is one of the leading banana producing states in the country, this can be beneficial for the state economy," Jhala addd.
Jhala stressed that using banana fibres can be a highly eco-friendly way of producing fabric or paper, and will help sustainable development. Japan has been successfully using banana to make currency notes so far, he added. He said that banana fibre can be used in home furnishings like decorative lampshades, cushions and curtains. (SH)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India
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