Transformation: a treasure in banana trunks

The minister delegate to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on Rural World (Mindelminader), Clémentine Ananga Messina, welcomed a group of Franco-Cameroonian investors to discuss a project on the transformation of banana trunks on Monday in Yaoundé.

"We wanted to get closer to the MINADER in the interest of a sustainable production of this raw material useful for our future plans," said Roger Samuel Eto, general manager of Eto's Farm, a company which specializes in planting banana trunks.

According to Vladimir Hayot, co-chair of the Fibe and Co Company, he embraces the patent processing of banana trunk and that this material is a real gold mine.

"Through the process of transformation that we have developed in recent years, we managed to get something from banana trunks," he explained.

It is raw material from which it is possible to produce wall layers, exterior objects, interior decoration and even car dashboards.

Already present in Asia and Europe, the company sought to expand its business in Africa and especially in Cameroon, a major producer of plantain.

Approving and convinced of the prospects offered by this project, Clémentine Ananga Messina gave investors the strategies for successful implementation. She guided her guests to the first plantain production basin in the Eastern Region.

According to Roger Samuel Eto, the project should start in 2016 with the construction of the processing plant in mid-year and installation of equipment planned for the end of the same year.

"It will be a question of producing about 100 000 m2 of veneer per year," he announced. The production is local and African market with a marketing exclusivity and technology transfer for Cameroon.

However, part of the production will be for Fibe and Co who made a reservation with a tolling agreement.