Odisha couple turns banana farm waste into a Rs 1-crore business, boosts farmers’ incomes

During a visit to his village in Balipatna block of Khordha district in Odisha, Kasinath Jena saw farmers struggling with banana waste. A large number of growers in Balipatna and Balianta blocks cultivate bananas due to the fertile alluvial soil and availability of irrigation facilities.

“Almost every household also has a banana plant in its backyard. While talking to the farmers, I understood that managing post-harvest waste was a major challenge for them,” Kasinath tells 30Stades.

The banana plant bears fruit only once, after which farmers struggle with disposing of the plant with its stem (which looks like a trunk). They have to spend money to clean farms after harvest.

“However, the stem is sturdy and contains many micronutrients. It can be used in multiple ways. The conversation with farmers led me to work on banana waste management,” he says.

In 2021, Kasinath and his wife, Anusuya Jena, set up Jayadev Banana Farmers and Artisans Association to upcycle this waste.

Also Read: Waste to wealth: How three friends clock Rs5 lakh monthly turnover from banana fibre

Today, it processes about 300 tonnes of banana waste monthly, creating 100 products in the food, utility and agriculture segments. By upcycling stems into pickles, juices, fibres, handicrafts, and organic fertilisers, they have built a zero-waste business, which generated Rs 1 crore turnover in 2024-25. The enterprise hopes to reach a Rs 10 crore turnover by 2030.

The couple works with over 1,000 farmers, who earn additional income by supplying banana stems while getting their fields cleared free of cost for the next crop.

Learning from other states, experimenting locally

Kasinath has over 31 years of experience as a development consultant, working on rural enterprises and livelihoods.  To understand how banana waste could be utilised, Kasinath travelled to Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, studying fibre extraction and food uses.

“I saw a couple of farmers extracting fibre from banana stems. I also learnt that tribal people utilise the innermost core called the floral stem to make food items. This part is edible. I thought of experimenting with the same back home,” he says.

Kasinath spent nearly a year experimenting with products before formalising the venture.

Also Read: Ahmedabad woman converts agricultural waste into fibre for textiles; sells at upto Rs 650 per kg

Building a farmer-led waste supply chain

In 2020–21, he conducted farmer awareness and sensitisation programmes and formed WhatsApp groups to coordinate waste collection.

“We started with 300 farmers, and now there are 1,000 farmers who have been giving the post-harvest waste to us," Kasinath says.

"We source it from Balianata, Balipatna and Bhubaneswar of Khordha district, Kantapada, Niali of Cuttack district, Nimapada and Pipili block of Puri. We also source stems from farmers of government-associated firms and from the Odisha University of Agriculture Technology and Department of Horticulture,” shares Kasinath.

The unit was set up with technical support from CSIR-IMMT Bhubaneswar, the Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, OUAT Bhubaneswar, and NIFTEM in Kundli, Haryana. It received Rs 2 crore under the government’s MSME scheme.

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How the waste-to-wealth process works

After harvesting bananas, farmers post messages in the WhatsApp group about the availability of waste. The unit’s collection vehicles pick up the banana stems from fields or visit designated plantations as per a fixed schedule. The waste is transported to the processing unit, which is equipped with specialised machinery.

Anusuya Jena, the President, manages daily operations. “I see the day-to-day operation of the unit. Our goal has been to help our farmers earn extra income and to transform their lives,” she says.

Once the stems reach the unit, they are cut using the stem cutter. Then every layer from the stem is removed till reaching the core.

The tender inner core of the banana stem is used to make pickles, juices and other products. The other pieces are put into the extractor machine to separate fibre and pulp.

Any gum or non-fibrous residual components in the fibres are manually removed. They are then thoroughly washed and dried.

The fibre obtained appears similar to silk and has become popular as the banana silk fibre. It is then refined, processed, and skeined before being used to prepare handicraft items. At the unit, banana waste is processed into 100 products across three categories -- food, agricultural inputs, and utility items, says Anusuya.

The fibre and utility products are mostly handmade and include banana fibre, fibre yarn and rope, mats, ladies' handbags, planters, coasters, table mats, handicrafts and decorative items.

The pulp removed from the fibre and the liquid expelled during the process are used to prepare agricultural inputs, including Jeevasara (organic manure), BioChar (charcoal), sap-based liquid fertiliser and organic pest control spray.

The edible products are banana stem pickle (five variants), banana stem papad (two variants), banana stem badi (dried dumplings), banana stem murraba, jam, banana stem juice (two variants) and more.

Farmers and markets 

The unit sells products offline through retailers and dealers in Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, and online across India. The products also attract buyers at fairs and exhibitions.

“We have achieved 1 crore annual turnover in 2024-25, and our target is to achieve annual turnover Rs 10 crore in the year 2030 and to involve 3000 farmers by 2030,” says Kasinath.

Nabakishore Mohanty of Balipatna village says, “Earlier, banana waste was a headache for me because I had to pay abourers for clearing it. Sometimes I would even burn the waste. Now, I am part of the farmers’ group, and I inform them about the availability of waste,” he says.

“I earn Rs 10 per plant, which is money from waste for me,” Nabakishore says.

Niranjan Mohanty of Majihara village echoes the view. Damodar Das of Betenda village says, “Until 2021, banana farming was difficult due to waste disposal issues. I was spending money to clean my field after harvest. This initiative has cut the cost of cleaning the field.”

Kasinath adds, “Our approach through waste-to-wealth initiative is not only cleaning the fields but also promoting sustainable agricultural practices and improving the livelihoods of rural communities. By preventing burning, we contribute to a cleaner environment. The elimination of open burning prevents air pollution and mitigates the risk of soil contamination.”

Over the past three years, the couple has received several awards for their innovative products.

(Malay Ray is a Rourkela-based journalist. He writes on social issues, human interest stories, startups, the environment, women empowerment and tribal life.)

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