Finding new directions for products from U Minh Thuong banana trees

MAKE THE MOST OF BANANA SKIN

Previously, after harvesting bananas, farmers had to hire people to cut down the trees, which was both costly and wasteful, and also caused environmental pollution. Recently, people in U Minh Thuong district have been able to produce products made from banana stems for export, with initial results. This not only makes the most of banana trees but also contributes to increasing income for local people.

Kenh 10 Agricultural Production Service Cooperative buys banana trees at the garden.

Ms. Tran Thi Vy buys banana trees from people at an average price of 500 VND/tree. Every week, she buys about 20 tons. She also buys whole banana gardens if people want to sell. Each banana tree when separated and dried will yield 1.3-1.7 kg of finished product. On average, for 1 hectare of banana, people can earn an additional income of over 20 million VND/year from selling banana tree trunks.

Currently, Kenh 10 Agricultural Production Service Cooperative hires 8 workers to do jobs such as collecting, cutting, pressing... with an average income of 250,000 - 300,000 VND/person/day. Mr. Danh Minh, residing in Minh Thuan commune, U Minh Thuong district, has been working at the cooperative since 2018. He is often in charge of purchasing, transporting, separating and drying. Mr. Minh said that the income of 300,000 VND/day has helped him have a good life, and his children can fully study.

Mr. Danh Minh arranges the separated banana leaves and prepares to press and separate them into fibers.

Ms. Tran Thi Vy shared that in the past, after harvesting banana trees, farmers often had to hire people to cut them down. Now banana stems also make money, so everyone is very excited. In their spare time, farmers sell banana stems to earn extra income to cover their living expenses.

FINDING NEW DIRECTIONS FOR PRODUCTS

At first, all stages of producing banana fiber were done by hand, without the support of machines. Ms. Vy decided to invest in a drying rack with a roof to limit the effects of rain and sun. After separating the banana fiber into fibers, it was dried but it was black and the quality was not flexible and tough.

To solve the above problem, Ms. Vy used microbial products to soak banana fibers. As a result, the banana fibers dried quickly, had a yellow-white color, and were of good quality.

Ms. Tran Thi Vy arranges banana fibers soaked in biological products, waiting to dry.

Along with that, Ms. Tran Thi Vy invested in additional cutting and pressing machines to pull fibers, helping to increase productivity. The machinery system was invested with more than 500 million VND from the local industrial promotion project in 2023.

According to Ms. Vy, the market for banana peel, fiber, and fiber products has great potential and these products are environmentally friendly. In 2025, she is determined to export banana handicraft products to Japan.

Ms. Vy said: “The dried banana fibers will be woven into carpets and exported to Japan through a company in Ho Chi Minh City. Initially, the cooperative has signed a contract for 4,000 carpets, selling at 17,000 VND/carpet. Although there is no profit yet, this is a positive result that gives the cooperative more motivation to produce.”

Mr. Danh Minh arranges and dries banana fibers.

Ms. Vy added that orders are expected to increase in the coming time. Therefore, drying banana fibers will certainly not meet production needs. The cooperative hopes that specialized sectors and localities will create favorable conditions to support dryers and warehouses to increase output, quality and contribute to enhancing the value of banana fiber products.

Ms. Tran Thi Vy wants to bring products from U Minh Thuong banana fiber to many markets around the world .

To continue to maintain and develop production, Ms. Vy plans to rent a space to build a carpet weaving factory directly in the locality, without intermediaries. “Banana trees have long been associated with local people. I want to contribute my efforts with the cooperative to develop this small-scale handicraft industry, bring products to many places, contribute to increasing people's income and promoting socio-economic development in the locality”, emphasized Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and Director of the Channel 10 Production Service Cooperative Tran Thi Vy.

Article and photos: THANH NHA

Source: https://www.baokiengiang.vn/kinh-te/tim-huong-di-moi-cho-san-pham-tu-cay-chuoi-u-minh-thuong-26711.html