Dr. S. Ibrahim Abro is an associate professor at the Department of Civil Science at the Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam. He has successfully experimented with making yarn, fertilizer, eco-friendly tissue paper, paper, and other items from banana stems.
The agricultural land of Pakistan has the tendency to produce banana crops especially in Sindh which is about ninety percent of the total production. That is why Sindh is known to be the ‘Garden of Bananas’. Bananas are grown in Sindh on 130,000 acres with about 1,200 to 1,500 plants per acre.
The banana plant has a short life span and bears fruits only once in its lifetime. But it grows another new plant beside it and that bears fruit by next. In this way, the old plants are cut down and are used for the purpose of burning and that creates pollution. Dr. Ibrahim Abro experimented to utilize the branches purposefully. He told an international news outlet “People are emitting carbon in the atmosphere by burning banana plants. These emissions are ultimately leading to climate change in the world. Therefore, for the first time in Pakistan, we have successfully tested a special machine to extract waste fiber, which not only produces yarn but also makes tissue paper and paper with organic fertilizers.”
He explained that the banana stem is first converted into sheets to make yarn. The yarn is inserted into the machine that extrudes wet yarn. Various items can be made from the yarn after it dries. Dr. Abro said, “The fertilizer made from it is pure potash, a liquid that is sprayed on the crops, whose market price is Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 7,000 per acre”.
Candy, pickles, and soft drinks can also be made from the fibers in the middle of the stem, which is a common practice in Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, and other countries.
