MBA Grad Turns Banana Waste Into Ecofriendly Handicrafts, Earns Rs 30 Lakh/Year

MBA graduate Mehul Shroff from Madhya Pradesh has found a way to build a viable business out of turning waste from banana farms into useful items. Today, his company – Shroff Industries – turns five tonnes of banana waste into eco-friendly items per month, earning a turnover of around Rs 30 lakh annually.

“From childhood, I have noticed farmers in our area dumping waste from banana farms after the harvest. I, too, wasn’t aware of its huge potential until I did some research,” Mehul tells The Better India.

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After completing his MBA, Mehul joined his family business, but he always dreamed of launching his own environmentally conscious venture which would help farmers as well. In search of ideas, Mehul attended a workshop organised by the district administration and Navsari Agricultural University in Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh.

“At the workshop, they spoke about how fibre can be produced from the banana stem and how it can be used in the textile, paper and handicraft industries,” he says. 

After two years of research on every aspect of turning banana waste into crafts and the risks involved in the business, he launched his startup, Shroff Industries, in 2018. 

A 16,000-hectare banana farm in Burhanpur ends up producing tonnes of waste in the form of banana stems and leaves. This waste, which is left to rot in pits, is taken up by Mehul’s company.

The startup makes banana fibre out of the stems, which is later turned into baskets, planters, ropes, bags, brooms, yoga mats, mats, wall clocks etc. For the production, Mehul has trained and employed around 40 women from rural regions of Burhanpur. 

Wish to know more about Mehul’s green startup? Watch this video:

Edited by Asha Prakash