SAU,FAO Agreed To Jointly Work For Bananas, Bioeconomy: Transforming Waste Project

Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have agreed to jointly work to attract industry and investors under “Bananas in Pakistan's Bioeconomy

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Nov, 2023) Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have agreed to jointly work to attract industry and investors under “Bananas in Pakistan's Bioeconomy: Transforming Waste into Textile", the project of Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the use of banana waste for making yarn, food items, and organic fertilizer, instead to burning the precious recourse of Sindh.

In this regard, on Thursday a meeting was held at the university committee room, presided by Vice-Chancellor Dr. Fateh Marri, in which officials associated with various sectors of FAO in Rome, Australia, and Pakistan and experts from Sindh Agriculture University participated.

Speaking on the occasion, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Fateh Marri said that due to a lack of knowledge about the importance of banana waste, 3.5 million tons of banana waste is burnt annually in the country, which has negative effects on the environment.

He said that the SAU can make fiber, food items, and liquid and composite organic fertilizers from banana waste, while students have also been involved in this project for the expansion of research, and various farmers will be transferred with this modern technology.

Associate Professional Officer FAO, attached to the Rome Headquarters, Ms. Lindis Norluno, said that the GEF project will improve Pakistan's economy and address environmental issues by converting banana waste into textiles and hazardous chemicals through an integrated supply chain program, while GEF also focuses specifically on the fashion and construction sectors.

Ms Urie, Deputy Program Manager of FAO, said that with the financial support of GEF, instead of burning the banana residue to combat environmental pollution, In cooperation with SAU, we will train and support farmers and field workers, while to ensure the participation of farmers through seminars, workshops, and training programs, we will work on the survey of different banana growing districts.

Dr. Waqar a Communication Specialist of FAO said this project will officially launch by March 2024.

Fazal Deen, in charge of this project in Pakistan, said that according to the demand, concerns, and expectations of the industry, research on the quality and purity of the fiber should be a priority and an environment of interest of investors in banana fibre should be created.

On this occasion, FAO's Bengal-born Australian expert Nazimuddin, Dr. Shaukat Ibrahim Abro of SAU gave his presentation on the domestic and industrial importance of fiber.

Ghulam Murtaza Sahito, Director BIC, Dr. Ghulam Murtaza Jamro, and others were present.

Earlier, the FAO team also visited the Banana Project at the University.

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