6 min readDec 8, 2017

Fibre Extraction and Spinning of Banana fiber waste

Traditional Fiber extraction Process

The traditional process of fibre extraction from the off shoots of Banana plant is laborious and time consuming. The layers separated from the banana stems are processed through various retting techniques generally in the water tanks, local canals for a period of 10 to 15 days. The retted layers of the plant beaten manually to loosen the fibers, washed and cleaned further to leave the waste.

Traditional practice of this kind, yield the best quality of this fiber. The fibers have good luster and are very affordable for the hand spinning and weaving.

Mechanized White Fiber extraction Process

Alternatively, mechanical process using either de-fibering or decorticating equipment process the separated layers of the stems can be separated directly into fibers. The beater in the machine helps to open the fibers. By using revolving drums the course long fibers are separated from the short fleshy parts and the pith. The stronger fibers are washed, cleaned and dried.

Technical Modification in the Machine

The rotating blades available in the machine are sharp and are good to extract coir fiber as the fiber is rough. Banana being a smooth, soft fiber, the sharp blades while extracting the fibers may cause harm to the strength of fibers by beating and cutting them into short lengths.

Few varieties of Brown Fiber extraction Process

The outer bark which is brown green colour is peeled off and the fiber strips are cut through hand extraction machine composed of either serrated or non-serrated knives. The peel is clamped between the wood plank and knife and hand-pulled through, removing the resinous material. The extracted fibers are sun-dried which whitens the fiber. To get a dark brown shade to the fibers we have to keep the bark strips for much longer time.

The sponge like structure behind the strips is to be completely scraped to avoid fungus problems in humid conditions.

There will be a fine fiber strip at the both ends of the bark layers is a very good fiber to explore. It is a smooth, light brown and pure fiber which we use it to make screens.

We dry the processed fibers naturally. Initially we used to extract fiber in our own unit. Now days Kora support people who want to start a unit, train the techniques of extracting fiber and buy it from them.

Process of hand spinning

The usual practice through ages is the hand spinning where the fibre is rolled into short length of 6 to 9 inches, giving a clock-wise twist by hands. When the sufficient quantity of the yarn is made, two of these short lengths are taken in hand together and made into yarn of two plies by giving counter twist, using both hands.

When the counter twist reaches near the end of the striking, further pieces of short lengths kept ready are added one after the other. The counter twist using both hands is continued till it reaches the required length of being a knot, reeled in the form of hank for further usage.

Though this process is very laborious and time consuming, it always have a soft twist and better feel.

Traditional Spinning Ratt (manual & motarised)

To prepare two-ply coir yarn on the spinning wheel, one set of two wheels, one stationary and one movable is required. The stationary wheel usually contains two spindles set in motion through the center of the wheel manually by hand. The movable wheel contains one spindle only. Two persons take the slivers of the coir prepared and kept ready after willowing.

Usually two women keeps the sliver in the arm pits, make a loop with small quantity of fibre which is put into the notch of each spindle set into motion on stationary wheel. Further fibre in the armpits is added to the loop while walking backward forming single stand yarn. The operation is continued till the required length is reached and are passed through the grooved rod. The two strands of yarn spun are tied together into the notch of the spindle on movable wheel which is at the other end. The grooved rod is allowed to move forward and the movable wheel is turned in the opposite direction

The object of the grooved rod is to regulate the twist of the yarn and to prevent entanglement of the strands at the time of doubling. When the grooved rod reaches the stationary wheel, the turning of the spindles of the spinning wheel is stopped and all the ends from that of stationary wheel are cut off and made into hanks.

Depending on the usage the yarn is tested if there is sufficient twist. If ore twist is required, the movable wheel is turned towards its original direction till the required twist is obtained. If the yarn has more twist than required, the movable wheel is turned in the direction contrary to the original twist.

The women of East and West Godavari districts have been practicing the skill of spinning coir ropes for the local vendors since the last 7 decades. We tried to replace the coir fiber with banana that has better commercial value and asked them to make it finer. In few areas where the women are not so skilled we trained them to spin single strand yarn on a ratt.

It took almost two years for the artisans to get comfortable with the new material and spin a good quality of yarn. Slowly standardised three different counts of yarns using two kinds of fine fibers with colour variations of natural white and brown.

We are working with nearly 120 women living in Mallikapuram, Chintalamoru, Gudapalli, Veguvaripalem, Rajole, Mogilipalli, Pasarlapudi, Nagaram, Appannapalli, Podalada, Chakalipalem, Doddavaram, Kadali, Thotlapalem, Peruru, Panasala, Doddi, Ambajipeta, Gannavaram, Bodapativaripalem etc. of East and west Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh working in small clusters. They spin two ply banana yarn of two varieties and single strand banana yarn of four varieties for us.