Setup industries to process wild banana: J J Singh

Itanagar, Aug 8: Arunachal Pradesh's retired Governor General J J Singh has asked the Gujarat-based Atul Limited to help the state in exploring the possibilities of setting up industries to process wild banana fibre for usage as textile and essential oils on contract farming basis.

Official sources said here today that the Governor on Thursday, Aug 7 had a discussion with Atul Limited's senior manager Dr Ashok Singhal and manager B K Maheswari on the entire issue for the economic benefit of the tribal people of the state.

Atul Limited, of the Lalbhai Group of Companies, one of the first corporate houses set up in 1947, has been associated with Arunachal for over a year.

The company has also been offering buy back benefit to the local farmers and Arunachal Pradesh Forest Corporation Limited (APFCL) with rates at par with the international market with no quantity reservation.

The proposed project would end the myth that wild banana is a weed as the wild plants can be converted into 'green gold' through processing for textile purposes, the sources added.

UNI