Sustainability is not a buzzword anymore in this era and it has become a necessity. The innovation of Taruwar Agro shows waste can be turned into wealth. It is also profitable. It is the brainchild of three friends—Jagat Kalyan, Satyam Kumar and Nitish Verma. Taruwar Agro is more than just another eco-friendly startup. It represents a fundamental shift to use agricultural waste into something meaningful. India produces more than 14.2 million tonnes of bananas annually and leaving 60 percent of that as biomass waste.
The approach to transform banana waste into a variety of useful products is highly being appreciated. The products are from handicrafts to sanitary pads. All these are maintaining a zero-waste model. Mountains of banana trees left to rot after harvest.
The decision of Jagat Kalyan to forgo lucrative job offers in Tanzania and Dubai to return to his roots in Bihar. His idea of utilizing banana fibre as raw material is a practical solution to environmental and economic problem.
The startup is creating additional revenue streams in rural areas by sourcing banana waste from local farmers and compensating them for what was once considered useless debris. Farmers now are earning from selling bananas and also from the trees. Some are even waiving fees in exchange for field clearance.
The zero-waste philosophy of Taruwar Agro is highly being appreciated. Every part of the banana tree is utilized in forms like fibre, vermicompost or liquid fertilizer.
The startup is gearing up for expansion into international markets. It is setting an example for other companies to work with agricultural residues. Taruwar Agro is proving sustainability. It is more than a goal.
