How To Start Banana Paper Making Business | SkillsAndTech

Banana paper making is an eco-friendly business in the agro-processing industry. However, it is an innovative technology and alternate way of manufacturing paper. This technology is used to turn banana waste into usable paper commercially.

Two types of banana papers are generally available. One is to refer to a paper made from the bark of the banana tree, mainly used for artistic purposes. Another one is paper made from banana stems or non-utilized fruits. However, you can process this type of paper either as handmade or with machines.

See Also: How To Start Canned Rasgulla Making Business

Here in this article, we intend to explore how to set up a banana paper-making project from the banana stem fiber.

Is Banana Paper Making Business Profitable?

Banana is one of the most important crops in India. Our country produces bananas in large quantities. However, after harvesting fruit, it generates a huge quantity of waste. It is about 60 to 80 tonnes per hector of waste biomass (pseudostem, leaves, suckers, etc.).

See Also: How To Start Your Own Smoothie Business

Presently, this biomass is discarded as waste. Normally farmers employ labor to either cut or uproot the pseudostems and throw them by the roadside. For this, a farmer needs to invest Rs. 10,000 per acre as labor charge for cutting and removing the plant from the field. Instead of spending money, now they can earn from their banana waste.

The Navsari Agriculture University (NAU) in Gujarat has standardized a process of manufacturing high-value paper from Banana fiber with a patent registration. The paper has been tested at the Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology.

See Also: How To Start A Hair Braiding Business

Basically, the fiber-made paper has a shelf life of over 100 years. Additionally, banana is the strongest of the long fibers ever found amidst natural fibers. Even, you can fold the paper as many as 3,000 times. The university has filed five different patents from the various usage of the Banana plant, which includes making yarn for textiles, paper, and candy.

Banana Paper Making Business Compliance

In starting a banana paper-making business, you must obtain different licenses and registration. Check your state’s laws and norms. Here we have listed some of the general requirements.

• Company registration with ROC
• Obtain Trade License from Municipal Authority
• Apply for MSME Udyog Aadhaar registration
• Obtain Factory license
• Obtain NOC from Pollution Control Board
• Register your brand name with Trademark
• GST Registration

Banana Paper Making Plan Setup & Manufacturing Process

Banana paper making includes the basic steps like procuring Banana Stems, cutting materials, pulping (a simple system using only water), and making paper. You can get the scientific know-how, processes, machinery, and equipment necessary to convert banana tree trunks into paper from papyrus technology.

The roundup process removes the outer layer from the banana tree trunk and prepares the resultant core for subsequent manufacturing operations. Remove the outer layer of the banana tree trunk as a single, continuous length of material of constant thickness using a patented type of spindle-less lathe.

See Also: How To Start A Hair Braiding Business

After removing the outer layer from the banana tree trunk, you can use the resultant core in the core veneer process. The core veneer process also uses a type of spindle-less lathe.

However, it differs from the roundup lathe in that the cutting process is undertaken with a higher degree of accuracy allowing the production of thin veneers.

The roundup process and core veneer process occur in the Beta Veneering Unit. Apart from handmade paper, the machine-made banana paper has a better revenue-earning capacity in the market.

See Also: How To Start Rubber Gasket Making Business

In addition, you can use different semi-automatic and automatic industrial machines to produce banana papers. You can also produce value-added products such as gift wrappers, envelopes, and stationery items that fetch much higher prices.

Banana Paper Manufacturing Machine

See Also: How To Start A Survey Business

Apart from handmade paper, the machine-made banana paper has a better revenue-earning capacity in the market. You can use different semi-automatic and automatic industrial machines to produce banana papers.

You can also produce value-added products such as gift wrappers, envelopes, fancy decorative papers, and stationery items that fetch much higher prices.

See Also: How To Start A Bleaching Powder Manking Business

In the banana paper-making project, you must consider the location of your unit. Additionally, you must establish the unit nearby banana farms. Basically, it helps to cut the transportation cost of the raw material to the banana paper-making units.