The Karnataka Minister for Handloom, Textiles, Sugarcane Development and Sugar, Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, on Thursday visited ICAR – National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) to explore the scope for technical collaboration and utilisation of fibre based technologies in textile and handloom industries and development of banana farming in the State.
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Briefing the Minister and his team, S. Uma, Director, NRCB, said States such as Karnataka with about 1.4 lakh hectares under banana cultivation generated huge volume of waste and this could be utilised to generate additional income of more than Rs.1000 crore. She also highlighted the potential for use of banana fibre in automobiles, composites, paper and pulp industries.
Mr. Munenakoppa said given the increasing demand for eco-friendly materials, banana fibre can be a good option for making garments, carpets, cushions, baskets and other products. He felt employing rural women in handicraft industry would help them earn more and MSMEs could also be promoted under Atma Nirbhar programme.
C. N. Bhojaraj, Secretary, Laghu Udyog Bharati, Karnataka, said banana processing offered excellent potential to provides entrepreneurial opportunities.
P. Suresh Kumar and K. N. Shiva, Principal Scientists, other scientists and technical officers of NRCB were present, a NRCB press release said.