Uganda ranks among the top ten global producers and consumers of bananas and the highest in Africa, averaging 10 million tonnes annually. A recent study suggests that 75% of all Ugandan farmers cultivate bananas – a staple for food security – mostly grown for subsistence purposes or intercropped with other crops. This non-seasonal, rain-fed crop requires minimal investment input and yields fruit within 6-8 months. In addition to selling and consuming the fruit, bananas can be developed into processed food products with an increased shelf life, such as flour, snacks and beverages.
However, banana cultivation results in tonnes of post-harvest and processing waste. Inedible parts of this staple crop, such as the pseudo-stems (the part of the banana plants that looks like a trunk) and leaves, are often disposed of through composting in farms where they are left to decompose naturally, or through burning in open fields with known air pollution consequences. In many cases, disease-infested stems remain on farms, posing a threat to banana plantations, while excess organic waste ends up in nearby open lands and landfills.
The SMEP-funded project Banatex-EA, led by Busitema University and a consortium made up of Moi University, National Textile University Pakistan, Technical University of Kenya, TexFad Ltd, Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development (PIBID), Uganda National Bureau of Standards and Freakin Future, has taken advantage of the abundant availability of this food crop and its post-harvest waste.
Using East Africa as a case study, the Banatex-EA project aims to reduce excess organic waste from banana plantations through a variety of ways, including through upscaling banana fibre extracted from banana pseudo-stems into market-derived products. The project also seeks to improve the current decortication process and homeware production by applying an innovative technique developed by the National Textile University in Pakistan to treat the raw fiber, making it suitable for spinning into yarn for textile production. Additionally, Banatex-EA intends to conduct further research into the valorisation of the organic residue generated from this process, such as through creating liquid fertiliser and bio-briquettes.
The project’s strong multi-disciplinary consortium combines synergies from farmer support, research and development, banana-fibre cottage product development, fashion design, business incubation, and marketing. At the heart of the project is the existing cottage industry, TexFad, a banana fibre processing operation located in Mukono, close to Kampala in Uganda. TexFad brings 15 years of expertise in extracting fibre from banana pseudo-stems through the mechanical decortication process to the SMEP project. They also specialise in converting the unprocessed banana fibre into high-quality, sustainable homeware products (such as carpets, lamp shades and jewellery) and furthermore produce handwoven textiles, and products, from Ugandan cotton yarn.
The consortium partner, PIBID, has expertise and established connections with Ugandan banana farmers. By leveraging this, TexFad is able to ensure a consistent and adequate supply of high-quality banana pseudo-stems to feed the production process and thereby enable the continuous supply of diverse homeware products that can, over time, contribute to the substitution of synthetic and other conventional fibres. The SMEP project aims to measure this potential impact, which, no doubt, will rely on the effective collaboration of the consortium partners and local banana farmers, ongoing sustainable agricultural practices, continued scientific research, and mechanisms to address scaling and potential supply.
This project is timely given the rapidly expanding nature of the global textiles market, which was valued at USD 1,83 billion in 2023 and is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% between 2023 and 2030 (Grand View Research, 2023). The research also states that although synthetic materials dominate global fibre production, consumer demand for sustainable and ethical products is rising. Current projections note that the sustainable textile market is set to exceed USD 40 billion by 2030 as a result of increased consumer awareness as well as a rapidly changing policy landscape. A Survey on consumer sentiments on sustainability in the fashion sector suggests that, in the European Union, brands and suppliers are increasingly prioritising eco-friendly materials. Investing in banana fibre production could position East Africa to tap into this potentially worthwhile market whilst also strengthening the country’s economic resilience through accessing new export markets and building a supplementary banana value chain, which could create revenue and support livelihoods.
Optimising By-products and Waste in the Fibre Extraction Process
Banana fibre production through decortication naturally produces organic residues, and as production increases, the volume of these residues may rise. In response, research is underway at partner universities to explore the potential for developing value-added products from this material, such as briquettes for energy supplements through a carbonising process, biofertiliser from banana sap, and biofuel from the biomass.
Since inception, the SMEP Banatex-EA project has supported the development of technologies for extracting and softening the banana fibre (to create a spinnable fibre), along with prototypes of woven fabric and hair extensions. Recently, it has also facilitated the production of spun-laced non-woven fabric through graduate research.
In addition, with SMEP funding, the cottage industry scale-up will prioritise the development and production of hygiene products such as diapers, sanitary pads, and wet wipes from banana fibres. This could open up access to alternative products in the market, while the increased extraction of banana fibres in Uganda is expected to generate substantial employment opportunities in the textile and clothing sector.
Anticipated socio-economic impacts
Sustainably transforming raw agriculture products into various commodities is an excellent way of providing added value to raw produce, increasing farmers’ income and offering various circularity advantages such as reducing waste and resource consumption.
Banana fibre value chains are labour-intensive, with production and further processing involving multiple stages: cultivation, harvesting, extraction, spinning, weaving, knitting, and product design. Each stage requires skilled and semi-skilled labour. This is particularly vital in Uganda, where the overall unemployment rate was 2.83% in 2023. Unemployment rates are also higher among Ugandan youth (4.5%) and in rural areas (9.9%).
During a recent trip to Uganda, the SMEP PMA engaged with three of the profiled female banana farmers. Prossy Naggayi and Joan Ssemakula expressed their excitement of being part of the project and hope to start supplying the pseudo-stems to the project team soon with the hope of being able to acquire a decorticator for the cooperative to enable fibre extraction in the field. Margaret, a banana farmer and local pastor, is excited about the potential additional revenue to use towards renovating the local church building.
Large-scale cultivation of bananas already employs millions of people globally. Expanding banana fibre extraction will create additional rural jobs and support livelihoods through new revenue streams, particularly for smallholder farmers and women. The industry also employs women and marginalised groups in fibre extraction, handcrafting, and textile production, thus potentially lifting rural communities from poverty.
The Banatex-EA project anticipates at least 30 direct full-time jobs will be created during the project lifecycle, with 20 positions already filled over the last four months at TexFad (16), Busitema University (2) and other partners (2). In addition to part-time field assistance roles, several liaison positions have been created for the duration of the project. At TexFad, the project has recruited both existing informal workers and new technical staff, with over 50% of them being female, contributing to technical, management, and hands-on roles. Additionally, TexFad has hired three BSc graduates from Busitema University, each with specialised training in textile and manufacturing technologies, to support the new initiative.
Gaining ground: Progress since project inception
Five months into project implementation, Banatex-EA has started a community engagement process of mobilising and profiling farmers by involving local communities in banana stem collection. The profiling of banana farmers was carried out within the districts of Wakiso, Mukono, Kayunga, and Bugerere (all districts surrounding the capital, Kampala, Uganda) by identifying smallholder banana farmers with farms covering more than an acre of land. The purpose of this activity is to know the current land holding (ownership and registration), banana breeds, agronomic practices, topography, alternative land use, and the extent and condition of banana plants that will supply the pseudo-stems for processing the different cultivars grown; and to identify farmers to be trained in future in the banana fibre extraction.
As of November 2024, eighty-four banana farmers had been profiled, with more than 90% of them – including the elderly, retired or informal workers, and women – residing in rural sub-counties. This opportunity offers the potential for additional income for less privileged families.
The Banatex-EA team, led by PIBID, has begun creating an online database using a similar approach to the one employed for mapping farmers in Western Uganda (for a government-led banana food security initiative). This activity aims to form a cooperative for banana farmers, enhancing market access and fostering collaboration with stakeholders such as credit providers, trainers, extension workers, and funders.
These cooperatives are crucial to the success of this project and future commercialisation of banana fibre in Uganda. Johnson Kawenyera, a community leader in Kituba Village, explains it well:
Capacity building and strengthening
Since project inception, the project has supported efforts towards capacity building at TexFad and at the participating research institutions.
TexFad has begun enhancing employee safety by instituting safety training and improving safety measures for workers performing tasks at heights and providing personal protective equipment (PPE), including overalls and footwear. TexFad has also started implementing various safeguarding training programmes, such as Occupational Safety and Health and Gender Sensitisation training for the employees, while also improving the facility to ensure the safety of the staff once production increases during the SMEP project implementation and beyond.
The project is supporting four students at Busitema University (three MSc. Eng, one PhD Eng), one student at Moi University (PhD Eng), one student at TUK (PhD Eng), and at least two graduate students at NTU. The students are focusing their research dissertations on various topics covering the banana value chain whilst also performing research assistants duties on this project. The project has also previously sponsored two graduate students of MSc Materials Engineering at Busitema, with a focus on sustainable materials and circularity. One is currently employed at TexFad as a Supervisor.
TexFad is also providing ongoing vocational skills training for youths and women in craft making and banana fibre extraction. The showroom at TexFad exhibits several products, including crafts made by these trainees.
The project also aims to facilitate social impacts by empowering and training local farmers in best practices for banana growing, handling banana stems, and domestic fibre extraction, among others. Consortium partner PIBID is well placed to deliver effective mobilisation, training, and profiling of banana farmers, leading to a stable and sufficient supply of banana stems while also improving farmers’ socioeconomic conditions. Farmers have also shown great interest in training and participating in craft making and banana fruit value addition, such as baking.
In collaboration with PIBID, more than 50 banana farmers have received training through SMEP funding since September 2024. The training covered agronomic practices, pest and disease management, marketing, farm management, and connections to key banana industry stakeholders. Additional training sessions are planned for these farmers, focusing on the production of banana-based products such as flour and other instant foods.
Social impact in numbers
In conclusion, while commercially viable solutions for extracting and processing banana fibres have been developed globally, their adoption remains limited. Uganda’s significant role in banana production provides a unique opportunity for the Banatex-EA project to contribute to the rising demand for alternative fibres through integrating farming of an abundant crop, research, product development, and marketing. The SMEP program is optimistic about the project’s potential impact, particularly its scalability, support for a circular economy, and its ability to boost the local economy.
Authors: Faith Gara and the Banatex-EA Project Team
Faith Gara is a member of the SMEP Project Management Agent
Comments and edits by: Elzette Henshilwood and Staci Warrington
