Mehul Shroff grew up in Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh, and saw farmers dumping banana waste after every harvest.
After completing his MBA, he decided to convert the agricultural waste into a viable, sustainable business that would help farmers.
Shroff Industries, started in 2018, Mehul’s startup makes banana fibre out of stems, which can be turned into useful products like handicrafts, textiles and paper.
“Through my research, I understood that banana stems, though normally considered agri-waste, are rich in cellulose and natural fibre content. Therefore, they make for the perfect input to produce fibres that can be turned into fabrics,” he explains.
He set up a processing unit in Burhanpur and started sourcing banana stems across the districtfrom farmers.
Initially, he found it difficult to sell the fibre and convince people about its scope and applications.
He then started making handicrafts from these fibres by handing them to women in the rural regions of Burhanpur.
“Currently, we have around 40 women who make handicrafts for us. We also have 10 employees in our processing unit,” he adds.
These handicrafts include baskets, planters, ropes, bags, brooms for worship, yoga mats, worship mats, wall clocks,and more. They are priced between Rs 100 and Rs 2,000.
Today, he sells around three to five tonnes of banana fibre every month, earning a turnover of around Rs 30 lakh annually.
Mehul says he has also introduced an organic liquid nutrient using banana waste as a base. “It will help improve soil fertility, thereby increasing productivity,” he says.
A single banana stem gives around 200 grams of fibre.