Promising SME Opportunities :: ‘Banana Fiber’ Crafts and Home Furnishing Products

This is a story of how a bootstrapped company, that started with an small initial investment, converted agricultural waste into  home furnishing and handicraft products & in its growth path of capturing the export and local market.

Banana cultivation is a very profitable agriculture business in India. Globally, India ranks No. 1 in banana production with a volume of 32 million metric tons from an area of 0.9 million hectares. On harvesting, the banana trunk is considered a waste and allowed to either rot or burned.  In India, approximately 8 lakhs tones of banana trunk is discarded as waste every year. The trunk portion is now no more considered a agricultural waste & its commercial value is exploited in the recent years. From the stem part, fiber is extracted and is used in varied application as it has got high strength and shiny appearance. 

Extracted banana fibers are increasingly being used in apparels, handicraft products, home décor, furnishing and other high vale paper making items. Banana stems from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra & Gujarat are ideal for usage in varied application, as the fibers have got superior strength and shine. 

Making Apparels using Banana Fiber:

In textile industry, banana fiber is gaining popularity as a raw material and an increasing amount of apparel producers and fashion designers are embracing its use for making clothes. The inner fiber from the stem is very supple and has a natural shine. The yarn spun from fiber, can be dyed and weaved. The fiber is seen as a sustainable alternative to silk for making sarees. Its water absorption property makes it ideal for making summer season apparels. Banana fabrics are lustrous, light in weight & unlike synthetic fabrics they are environmental friendly.

For Home Furnishing & Handicrafts:

The outer sheath of banana tree are thicker and sturdier and are used for making home furnishing items as decorative lamps, ceiling décor, tabletop baskets, carpets, yoga mats, curtains and a tail of other handicraft products as bags, Photo frames, pen stand, doll and the list goes endless.

Banana Fiber for High Quality Papers:

Banana fiber is also used for making high quality writing paper made by extracting pulp from the fiber. Paper from banana fiber is handmade & eco friendly. The product has good demand in international markets as Singapore, Dubai & US. The paper made from banana fiber can last more than 200 years and hence used for making bond papers in United States.

To understand the industry further, ‘Brand Mystery’ spoke with Rajalingam ARS, Managing Partner, Senki Enterprises, a company that is into extraction of banana fiber and selling of natural fiber products. In 2015, Rajalingam and his brother Sankar Kannan ARS went on to launch Senki Enterprises with an initial investment of Rs. 5 Lakhs. Taking inputs from National Research Centre for Banana, Trichy & The South India Textile Research Association SITRA, Coimbatore the brothers launched the business of extracting banana fiber from the agricultural waste. At their production unit in Valliyur, a small town in Tirunelveli district, the duo produce about 150 different handicraft products and home décor items. Senki Enterprises, employs directly artisans and craftsmen to produce the products. 

Banana fiber is naturally water and fire resistant and comes with high strength and is easily recyclable that made us come with numerous home décor products, says Rajalingam.

“Home décor and handicrafts of natural fiber has sizeable market potential in India and it is growing. Be it the fascinating bed lamps or the colourful handbags, the handicrafts from banana fiber are sought across the world” Rajalingam adds.

Body scrubbers made out of plastic, contains volatile organic compounds, that doesn’t suit people with sensitive skin.  The company makes natural scrubbers which it exports to countries as Georgia & South Africa. “The banana scrubbers don’t have any such compounds and have a caring touch on the skin”, says Rajalingam.

Currently Senki enterprises produce home décor, handicraft products and fashion apparels and sells it to export companies, handicraft stores & large traders in Delhi & Maharashtra. It is also directly exporting its products to its clients in Malaysia, Dubai, Georgia & few African countries. Senki Enterprises has so far sold over 5,00,000 handicraft items since its launch and made an annual turnover of Rs 12 crore in the FY’19-20. To be on par with customer demands, the company introduces 10-15 new products every quarter. 

The company purchases banana stems for fiber extraction directly from farmers, helping them get an extra source of income. The company employs around 60 under privileged women for extracting the fibers from stem and processing the fiber.

Rajalingam says, the company sticks to delivery timelines and its key parameter is creating good customer experience which helps it gain the customers trust.

Way Forward, the company plans to focus on increasing its product line along with expanding the customer base in India & in global markets. Seeing the customer responses & love for these handicraft products, Rajalingam says he has plans to very soon launch banana craft boutiques at Kanyakumari & Goa.   

The company is also preparing to bring its products online through marketplaces and use services as amazon global selling to reach out to global customers.

Written by K. Harish Kumar