According to Kulkarni, Maharashtra has over 75,000 hectares of banana plantation and they are hoping to tap these for the banana paper industry. “We are looking to set up one unit for every 100 acres of banana plantation. Sixty farmers from across the state have already paid the initial registration amount of Rs 5,000 to set up a unit. The total estimated cost of one unit would be about Rs 75,000,” said Kulkarni. A study by Eco Green has revealed that the quality of banana stem from the state, compared to those grown in Tamil Nadu or Gujarat, is far superior and is an ideal raw material for manufacturing paper.

“We have examined the fibre from the stems grown in Solapur, Satara, Sangli, Aurangabad, and Jalgaon. It is of far superior quality and has more brightness and shine when compared to the fibres from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. We hope to have around 150 growers in this state processing stems for us. We want about 25 to 30 tonnes of fibre from Maharashtra,” S K Babu, project director, Eco Green.

Thate is confident his business would grow manifold but he would also have to pay growers from where he gets stems for free now. “It cost me Rs 20,000 to set up the unit but I have nothing to lose as the first consignment that I have already sent would get me Rs 40,000,” he said while supervising the unit.

Heaps of banana stems was piled up near at the unit and workers were seen slicing the banana stems into thin strands and then put through a machine that separate the adhesive and water content from it. The fibre is then cleaned and dried before being bundled of to the unit that makes notepads, stationery items, lampshades, and handicraft.

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