The valorization of banana trunks into tools generates income and employment. Divine Irambona is passionate about transforming banana trunks into biodegradable packaging. Despite many challenges, she wants to move from artisanal production to industrial production
Divine Irambona passionate about transforming banana trunks into biodegradable packaging.
Since 2021, young entrepreneur Divine Irambona, residing at Cibitoke Transversal 7 (Tr7) hill in Cibitoke province, has embarked on the transformation of banana trunks into biodegradable packaging with a view to becoming self-sufficient, contributing to environmental protection and preserving the quality of arable land.
Her idea started when she was in BAC II. In addition to her studies, Irambona was eager to carry out a project that would generate income without waiting to be hired by any institution. “This ecological transformation did not come directly at first. I was thinking of opening an institutional office to welcome people who have problems related to excess nutrients, but I realized that some Burundians suffer from malnutrition and not from excess nutrients and that I was not going to receive clients. It was with this in mind that I started doing research on the net. I learned that with banana trunks we could make biodegradable packaging,” she said.
This 26-year-old graduate in human nutrition in the medical sciences department is now the legal representative of the processing company called Transformation Écologique (Trans Eco for short).
When raw material is considered waste
After the banana harvest, some Burundians consider the banana trunks as waste, and may throw them away or let them rot. However, Irambona cannot collect them without the agreement of the banana farmers in Cibitoke, she explains. “We have signed contracts with some banana farmers. They give us the trunks for free, but after processing, we have to reimburse them for the leftovers or waste. These farmers then use them as manure for their fields.”
Progress, but also challenges
Towards the end of 2022, Mr. Irambona started the production process. “I bought a small dynamo machine, but it only produced one A4 sheet during the whole day. So I looked for two more people and we considered farming to be able to increase the income, and later buy another more efficient machine. Now we can produce about fifty biodegradable packages,” she announced.
In fact, after the banana trunks are transformed into packaging, the remains are kept in a compost. They are then mixed with chemical fertilizers to make a high-quality fertilizer, which can increase agricultural yield. The first product was launched on the market in February 2023. Now, it has already created jobs for five people.
However, the company “Trans Eco” faces major challenges including the lack of appropriate equipment, which limits its production capacity. In addition, the insufficiency and untimely power cuts are failing us.
From artisanal production to industrial production
Divine Irambona hopes that the company Transformation Ecologique (Trans Eco) will move from artisanal production to industrialization of its products, and that there will be a local overproduction of biodegradable packaging. She encourages young people to be brave and adopt a trial and error approach. She invites them to use the platforms not only for their own pleasure, but also to explore how they can contribute to their personal development and the progress of society.
#Banana #tree #trunks #worth #gold