CONVERTING WASTE BANANA TRUNKS INTO COMMERCIAL FIBERS

CONVERTING WASTE BANANA TRUNKS INTO COMMERCIAL FIBERS

There’s an old saying that goes, “The answer is right under our noses.” It perfectly describes how, for so long, we’ve overlooked one of the most obvious opportunities in Philippine agriculture — the potential to convert banana trunks, which are usually thrown away, into commercial textile fibers.

We Filipinos are not strangers to plant-based fibers. We already have abacá — a close cousin of the banana — which has brought us international recognition as the world’s top producer of what’s often called “Manila hemp.” The Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PHILFIDA), under the leadership of Director Ali Atienza, has been promoting abacá fibers for years, even developing fine yarns for weaving and textile production.

So here’s the question: if we can make yarn from abacá trunks, why not from banana trunks too?

The banana plant, like abacá, belongs to the Musa family. After it bears fruit once, the trunk (technically called the pseudostem) dies. Farmers then cut it down, leaving it to rot or be used as compost. But that trunk — rich in long, durable natural fibers — could actually be processed into valuable textile material. Meanwhile, new shoots called suckers emerge from the base and grow into new fruit-bearing stems, ensuring the cycle continues.

From a business perspective, it makes little sense to depend on just one product from a crop that can yield two. For every bunch of bananas harvested, we discard a potential source of income. What if we could change that equation — and give farmers an extra livelihood by extracting fibers from what they currently consider waste?

A Taiwanese example

Interestingly, Taiwan is already showing us how this could work. Nelson Yang, a Taiwanese entrepreneur and founder of Farm to Material in Changhua County, has turned banana pseudostems into a sustainable fiber marketed to the global apparel industry. His company transforms agricultural waste into biodegradable textile material for use in clothes, shoes, and other products — aligning with global sustainability and circular economy goals.

According to reports from Taipei Times and TaiwanPlus, Yang’s innovation combines environmental responsibility with business sense. Instead of letting tons of banana trunks rot, he processes them into high-value fibers that attract international buyers, especially in the eco-friendly fashion market. He’s even been in talks with sneaker manufacturers eager to replace synthetic fabrics with natural alternatives.

This is not science fiction. It’s already happening — just not yet here.

The Philippine opportunity

Imagine if banana growers in Davao, Bukidnon, or Quezon could sell not just their fruits, but also the trunks that used to be thrown away. A typical banana plantation cuts down hundreds of pseudostems every harvest. That means hundreds of kilos of potential fiber per hectare — a new product line waiting to be developed.

Director Atienza has already proven the feasibility of fiber-based industries with abacá. There’s no reason why his agency, with a little budget boost from Congress, cannot spearhead research and development on banana fiber extraction. Small-scale processing plants could be established at the barangay level, run by cooperatives or LGUs. These could use simple decorticating and drying machines powered by solar energy — low-cost, low-tech, and locally managed.

The fibers, once processed, could be sold to local weaving centers or exported to manufacturers of eco-friendly fabrics. They could even be blended with abacá or cotton to make stronger, lighter textiles.

Why it matters

Globally, the fashion industry is under pressure to move away from synthetic materials like polyester, which contribute to microplastic pollution and climate change. The demand for biodegradable fibers is growing — and banana fiber could fill that niche. It’s renewable, sustainable, and part of a circular system that reuses agricultural waste.

For Filipino farmers, this isn’t just an environmental initiative; it’s economic empowerment. By monetizing what they used to throw away, they can double their potential income. It’s the same logic as producing coconut coir from husks or charcoal briquettes from rice hulls — turning “waste” into wealth.

Questions and suggestions

So, what’s stopping us?

• Is it lack of awareness? Many farmers may not know that banana trunks can be processed into something valuable.
  
  

• Is it a lack of technology? Perhaps we need to design affordable fiber-extraction tools suitable for smallholders.
  
  

• Is it a need for policy? Congress could legislate incentives for agricultural waste repurposing, just as it does for renewable energy.
  
  

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and PHILFIDA could jointly develop pilot programs, with funding support from the Department of Agriculture (DA). The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) could help link farmer cooperatives to textile companies and export markets.

The bigger picture

Banana fiber aligns with what many now call “circular design” — using every part of a resource so that nothing goes to waste. It fits perfectly into a sustainable community model where economic activity, environmental care, and cultural revival coexist.

We already have the raw materials. We have the expertise. What we need now is vision — and the political will to turn that vision into a real, working industry.

If Taiwan can market banana fiber to global brands, surely the Philippines — with its much larger banana plantations — can do the same. Let’s stop letting these trunks rot away. Let’s convert them into threads of prosperity.

Bananas give fruit only once per stem — but with the right approach, their value could live on far longer than a single harvest.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres

iseneres@yahoo.com, senseneres.blogspot.com

02-11-2026