Final Products

Artistic paper products (fibers for handmade products)
(e.g., business cards, greeting cards, note pads)

Required Inputs

Banana waste

Competing Products

Low competition
Industrially produced paper products

Potential for Export

High

Complexity – Type of Process

Simple – mechanical process

Technology

Manual pulping, pressing, and shredding

Equipment and Material

Pulping and pressing units, tools for producing products

Human Resources

Manual labor and designers

Forward Linkage

Exhibitors and stationery stores

Local/Regional/Nationwide

Local Market - Nationwide

Backward Linkage

Waste contractors and farmers

Supporting Entities

Waste contractors, equipment, and packaging material suppliers

Competitive Edge

Unique paper texture and other advantageous characteristics (e.g., strength)

Revenue Stream

Sale of artistic paper products

CAPEX

Less than 500K EGP

Note: This CAPEX represents the indicative investment size, however, this investment opportunity can start from a micro-scale investment and grow in implementation to larger-sized investments.

Investment Size

Micro (less than 500K EGP)

Key Challenge

The informal sector may control the price of feedstock, seasonality of banana waste, supply access and quality, and cash flow management

Advantages

High value-added use of banana waste

Potential Pathways to Growth

Production, sales and/or distribution of other products (e.g., fabrics, composite boards, veneer, wrapping paper and other packaging) or sold as feedstock to the industry, if large quantities with appropriate specifications could be sourced

Environmental

Eco-friendly use of agricultural waste

Social

Increases return on agricultural waste activities and create job opportunities for unskilled labor and women

Relevant sub-market

Handmade accessories

Lies within the following value chain/cluster(s)

Agricultural waste

Impact

Enhances value-addition of agricultural waste utilization