HT Correspondent
DIMAPUR, June 11: The North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR), an autonomous institute under the Union science and technology department, inaugurated a Common Facility Centre (CFC) for banana fibre extraction at New Chümoukedima village under Chümoukedima district on Wednesday.
The centre aims to promote sustainable livelihoods, skill development, and value addition through efficient utilisation of agricultural wastes.
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The facility has been established under the ministry of DoNER’s PM-DevINE scheme as part of the ‘NECTAR Livelihood Improvement Project – A Value Chain on Utilisation of Banana Pseudostem for Value-Added Products’.
Chanchal Kumar, secretary, Ministry of DoNER, attended the opening ceremony as the chief guest.
A key highlight of the event was the formal launch of an organic biofertilizer derived from banana pseudostem sap – a product developed under the same project to provide eco-friendly fertiliser alternatives for farming communities.
This initiative not only promotes circular economy but also directly supports soil health and sustainable agriculture practices in the region.
In his presentation, Arun Kumar Sarma, director general, NECTAR, showcased the broader objectives of the PM-DevINE project and NECTAR’s portfolio of livelihood-oriented technological interventions across Northeast.
He highlighted how this specific project addresses a critical gap in agricultural waste management by converting banana pseudostem – typically discarded as waste into different useful and marketable products, including natural fibre, biodegradable sheets, and handmade paper.
He emphasised that this model offers both environmental and economic benefits and can be replicated across other regions and crops with similar challenges.
Another important milestone marked during the ceremony was the signing of an MoU between NECTAR and The Entrepreneurs’ Associate (tEA) based in Nagaland, formalising their collaboration for implementation and operation of the common facility centre.
The programme also included distribution of training materials and Vasundhara soil organic testing kits to beneficiary farmers from Nagaland.
