Naresh Magrati makes money from banana plant waste

By Hari Prasad Koirala,Urlabari, July 16: Naresh Magrati from Letang Municipality in Morang district of Koshi Province, has been making a good income by producing valuable fibre from banana pseudo stems, which are often thrown as waste across Nepal. 

After working abroad for 13 years as a migrant worker, Magrati returned to Nepal in 2019 and engaged in agriculture activities. His family has a tradition of working with leather. Lacking proper guidance in ancestral occupation, he looked for alternatives. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he established his farm, Tara Krishna, and started rearing goats, chickens and pigs. After becoming successful in animal husbandry, the 51-year-old entrepreneur looked for new business opportunities. 

He searched in YouTube to find whether there were any clues for a new business, and came across the idea of producing fibre from banana pseudo stems.  

In February 2023, Magrati purchased a machine at Rs. 156,000 to extract fibre from banana pseudo stems. This machine now produces 20 kg of fibre a day, and he sells the fibre at Rs. 150 per kg. He makes a profit of Rs. 1,000 every day while the daily operational cost is Rs. 2,000.

Magrati is the first in the district to commercialise banana pseudo stem fibre. The firm from where he bought the machine buys the fibre. 

As he does not own a banana farm, he collects pseudo stems from his neighbouring Rural Municipality Miklajung, only incurring transportation costs. Farmers, who typically discard pseudo stems, are happy when the part is cleaned for free from their land. 

Magrati said, "Within three days of cutting down a banana tree, the pseudo stem is put into the machine to yield jute-like fibre. It is as strong as jute. It dries quickly under four hours of sunlight when put inside a tunnel."

In Morang, approximately 1,500 bighas of land is dedicated to banana cultivation. Magrati’s innovation has capitalised on the wasted resources.

Letang Municipality is supporting Magrati's business. Mayor Bhupendra Kumar Lawati of Letang Municipality said, "If waste can be transformed into revenue and employment, the municipality stands ready to assist. Supporting local industries creates employment opportunities. Alongside infrastructure development such as road, transportation and electricity supporting local industries which create employment is also important."