A hut made of dry banana fibre. |
Uganda is the
second largest producer of bananas after India with about 9 million
tonnes produced annually. All this production creates tonnes of waste in
form of stems and stocks. These are returned back to gardens to be used
as fertilisers or mulching materials.
But the stems and stocks can be turned into fiber and used to produce different products which you can export and earn a living.
The banana fiber is
a widely used product in making coarse woven fabrics for example sacks,
ropes, twigs, sand bags, tents, webbings, canvas and screens, kit bags,
tool bags, luggage, gunny bags and covers. Banana fiber can also be
blended with wool and cotton to make blankets and carpets.
Here is how you can mint money from adding value to the banana stems and stocks into fiber.
Ideally, the fiber
is extracted from the pseudo-stem of banana-establishing a banana fiber
making plant to utilise the products of the variety of banana
plantations in Uganda.
Start
Ms Victoria Byoma
is Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa's leather expert with
vast knowledge in making products out of banana fiber which she sells
locally and regionally.
It is a business
you can do from the confines of your home with ease and you will be
surprised at how it can sustain family needs for years.
Ms Byoma makes
ladies' hand bags out of banana fiber, centre pieces, ornaments,
decoration items, table mats, mats, and purses among other products.
"This is the kind
of business you can do in your free time. The beauty is the raw
materials (banana fibers) are easily accessible-in our backyards,
villages and markets," she shares.
Investment capital
Ideally, this is a
low-cost business to start. Many people would worry about starting
capital but Ms Byoma says with Shs50, 000 you can start in this kind of
business.
"All you need is a pair of cutters, wood glue, straw bond and varnish and you will be good to go," she shares.
But if you want to
do it on a large scale according to Uganda Investment Authority's
investment ideas report, this project can cost you $4,325 (Shs15.7
million) to mainly purchase the machine that will help you process the
fiber.
This plant which can be imported from either India or China can also be fabricated in Katwe.
Producing massively
means one would be processing 46,800 kilograms of fiber per year. In
this case, one will be assured of revenue estimates worth $93,600
(Shs341 million), annually indicating a net profit margin of 72 per
cent.
Production process
After getting the
fiber from the machinery, it should be beaten in the stone beds,
squeezed and be combed without pith content. It should be 100 per cent
dried and packed by air tight polyethene bags.
Then production
process starts with the extraction of the fiber from banana pseudo-stem.
This process involves splitting the banana pseudo-stem into strips,
injection in open vats followed by washing and drying.
By using
traditional techniques, the fiber can be converted into various utility
items. Production capacity is projected at 150kgs per day.
Production costs
assume 312 days per year with daily capacity of 150 Kilogrammes.
Depreciation (fixed asset write off) assumes a 4-year life of assets
written off at 25 per cent per year for all assets.
Direct costs
include: materials, supplies and all other costs incurred to produce the
product. A production month is 26 work days.
Incentive
Industrialists'
Associations are allowed in the formulation of government policies on
taxes and industries, through Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA)
representation in budget making.
Market
A wide range of
products can be produced which enjoy good market in both rural and urban
areas and these include weave bags, mats, wall hangings and sanitary
towels.
Ideally, the dried
fiber is used to make handbags and purses, sold at between Shs1,500 and
Shs5,000 depending on the size, wall hangings at Shs5,000, a set of
table mats selling at between Shs3,000 and Shs10,000, large sized floor
mats costing Shs20,000 and bed side mats for Shs10,000.
No comments:
Post a Comment