In Patachora village of Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga, various products are being made from yarn produced from the bark of abandoned banana trees. The unemployed men and women of that village are dreaming of products made from the fibers of abandoned banana trees. A small cottage industry has also developed in that village based on banana yarn. Agricultural entrepreneur Shaheen Ali is making various types of eco-friendly products including boats, wall mats, vases, shike, caps, hurricanes, floor mats, table mats and market bags from the yarn produced from the bark of the banana tree. All those products have already started to attract people's attention. The products made from banana fiber yarn are already adorning various government offices and homes. He is exporting the manufactured products not only in the domestic market but also abroad. More than hundred men and women of that village are engaged in this industry. They are trying to turn their fortunes around. Dreaming of the future. Meanwhile, an association has been formed with the trained people.
Patachora village is 16 km from Chuadanga district town and 7 km from Damurhuda upazila town. Shaheen Ali, a young man of this village, has been interested in using eco-friendly products since his childhood. About two years ago, Shaheen Ali came to know about making yarn from banana tree after watching a video on social media. Contacted on mobile phone and bought the yarn-making machine.
Then he collected the bark of the abandoned banana tree after harvesting banana leaves from the village plantation. Later, those buckles were machined and yarn was extracted. After making yarn for some time, he thought of making products with this yarn. Later, he started making different types of products by washing the yarn made from the bark of the banana tree and drying it in the sun. After making yarn, he also made vermi compost fertilizer from banana plant waste. First, he started making products with the girls of the house. Later, other men and women of the village were also added to this profession. At present, more than a hundred women including students, widows, husband deserters, and disabled people of that village have been associated with this work. The men and women of this profession make various products and deposit them together in the association. These products started to be sold from there. Damurhuda Upazila Youth Development Department has even arranged training to make them efficient.
The men and women who make the products said that they are making a lot of profit by making and marketing these products. Samples of all these products have also been sent to Bangladesh Cottage Industries Corporation. Apart from the district city, they have started getting orders from different places. However, due to lack of manpower and money, they have to get a lot of speed to supply all these products. Their demands are government loans on easy terms.
Patachora village husband abandoned Hira Moni, Deoli village homemakers Ratna Khatun and Runa and college student Papia Khatun said they were making various products while sitting in the yard of their house. They are making money by making these products. As a result, they have become financially independent today.
Agricultural entrepreneur Shahin Ali said that he is making various products including paposh, table mat, market bag, wall mat, vanity bag, showpiece, tray, ornaments for men and women by weaving the yarn of banana tree.
Besides, yarn from abandoned banana plants and vermi-compost fertilizer and bio-fertilizer are being made from its waste. Demanding the help of the government, he said that if the help is received, it will be possible to hire more unemployed manpower in his workplace. That unemployed population will become financially prosperous.
Nasreen Khatun, trainer of Damurhuda Upazila Youth Development Department, said that skills are being increased by training the helpless poor women and students of the village to make them self-reliant. After being trained, they are using the yarn made from abandoned banana trees to make a variety of useful products in a very beautiful way. Youth Development has taken up this training to prepare these products in accordance with the standards.
Damurhuda Upazila Youth Development Officer Abdullah Al-Mamun said that the Department of Youth Development is working to transform young women into skilled manpower. As a result, this training system has been adopted. This training will continue to improve skills.
Damurhuda Upazila Agriculture Officer. Moniruzzaman said that the upazila agriculture department is helping Shahin Ali, an agricultural entrepreneur of Patachora village. Because if he succeeds, the development of the economy and humanity of rural towns will be possible. Many unemployed women can establish themselves by working. Banana tree is the main ingredient for making all these products. So the farmers of this area are being encouraged to grow bananas. And those who are making those products are also being provided advanced training. So that they can make these products better and earn more profit.
He also said that Shaheen is making yarn from abandoned banana trees. In addition, local women are making various products from this yarn. Through the training of those women, efforts are being made to sell those products in the country's market as well as to export them to different countries including Spain, France, Qatar. They are being sent by courier. If there is demand for the product in these countries, more will be sent. In this case, there is a special need for the government's patronage.