UTILIZATION AND VALUE ADDITION OF BANANA FIBRE - A REVIEW

Banana (Musa sapientum) plant aptly called as ‘kalpataru’, a gigantic herb, a food fruit crop, an ancient species is cultivated all over the world. India is the largest producer of banana in the world. Banana plant not only gives the delicious fruit but it is also a source of textile fibre known as the banana fibre. The plant is grown in all kind of soils but most commonly found in hot tropical climate. All varieties of banana plants have fibres in abundance. These fibres are obtained after the fruit is harvested and fall in the group of bast fibres. This plant has been a good source for high quality textiles in many parts of the world, especially in Japan and Nepal. Banana fibre has the potentiality to be used in the manufacture of handicrafts, home decorative items, home furnishing items and paper. The paper made out of banana fibre has very good export potential. The fruitful utilization of these stems is therefore an important issue related to banana cultivation.