Rwanda has been growing bananas for hundreds of years, mainly for food, making juice and using its fibre to make ordinary mats or ropes. Few of us knew banana stems can be used in making high quality furniture, but as Nelson Mandela put it, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Rwanda has been growing bananas for hundreds of years, mainly for food, making juice and using its fibre to make ordinary mats or ropes. Few of us knew banana stems can be used in making high quality furniture, but as Nelson Mandela put it, "It always seems impossible until it’s done.” In fact, for many banana farmers, a banana stem is only good for mulching and few banana growers think they can make profit from the trunk after harvesting.
However, banana stems are a ‘gold mine’ and farmers benefit handsomely from growing bananas, selling fruits and banana stems that has for long been considered agricultural waste.
With a new innovation by Cleophas Habiyaremye, a Kayonza District-based carpenter, farmers could soon start earning cash from the banana stem. The enterprising carpenter uses banana trunks to make raw materials for making high quality furniture. He plans to start full commercial operations next March.
Habiyaremye, the managing director of Atelier Umuvanganzo Ltd, is currently setting up a Rwf127 million hi-tech factory in Mukarange Sector, in Kayonza. He says the innovation, the first of its kind in Rwanda, will also contribute to environmental conservation by reducing the number of trees being harvested for furniture, according to John Mugabo, the mayor of Kayonza District.
"Habiyaremye has proved the possibility of making furniture from banana fibres. This is a novel idea that the district has committed to support so that the project is implemented to create more jobs for our people. So far, we have given him a working place and linked him to business advisors to help him draft a bankable business plan to access finance,” he says.
Starting out
Habiyaremye, who retired from the armed forces in 2005, was sponsored to undertake a six-month carpentry course by the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission in 2007.
He says he opened his first carpentry workshop in 2008 with Rwf7,000 start-up capital, which he used to buy
working tools - a saw, plane and square.
"I started by making ordinary benches, chairs and tables that I sold in the neighbourhood. I was lucky that two weeks after opening shop, I got an order to make a sideboard (cabinet) of Rwf200,000, from which I earned Rwf80,000 interest that I ploughed back into the business,” says Habiyaremye, 44.
He says he used to earn an average of Rwf30,000 per month during the initial months of the project, noting that the income kept on increasing over time.
With more jobs and capital, he decided to expand, which gave birth to Atelier Umuvanganzo in August, 2012.
Habiyaremye attributes his business growth to innovation, saying he always seeks to make a difference by coming up with unique furniture designs.
"I design sideboards of all shapes. I made one in a shape of a hut and mosque, which I sold at Rwf600,000 and Rwf400,000, respectively,” says the father of five.
The entrepreneur currently employs four permanent workers to support him, and occasionally hires at least 10 temporary staff when he gets a lot of orders for furniture.
Furniture from fibreboards
Considering the high cost of wood and scarcity of the trees in his area, and in Rwanda generally, Habiyaremye was worried that this could one day affect his carpentry business due to the lack of raw materials. This is how he started looking at wood for making furniture He says the first time he attempted converting banana stems into fibreboards was in 2012.
"I read about how the Chinese were making Medium-Density Fibreboard (MDF) by moulding and compacting sawdust, so I conceived this idea of pressing dry banana fibres using glue, which I could wrap the finishing materials that resembles the treasured Libuyu wood.
"After some time, I realised that this approach could help me make high quality furniture,” he explains.
Habiyaremye says thereafter, he thought of how to improve fibreboards so he borrowed a hydraulic press machine from a German friend in City of Kigali.
"I used the machine to mould a fresh banana stem, pressed the product until it became a fibreboard from which I made a table that I have been using for three years now,” he says. Since, then the retired soldier has never looked back and has been making fibreboards on a small scale for selected customers.
He says the innovation could turn around the sector, and help save trees that are cut down daily for furniture. He adds that it also reduces on the import bill for boards used for roofing or furniture.
Challenges
Habiyaremye says lack of access to finance is one of the main barriers hindering the scaling up of the fibreboard production project.
He says banks have repeatedly denied him funding for unclear reasons, which he says has affected the growth of the enterprise. He also says rental fees for the place where he works from affect his earnings.
"Following these challenges, I started attending different exhibitions and private sector competitions to raise awareness about the project. But this has gone on for long, with concerned government agencies taking no interest in the project.
"I was, however, lucky that in September, the district offered me a free working place, the Eastern Province authorities pledged to support the project,” he says.
Habiyaremye says he has so far invested Rwf22.6 million in the expansion project, noting that this could increase to Rwf127 million with new planned investment.
He says he has applied for Rwf89 million loan from Development Bank of Rwanda that he expects to be disbursed soon. He says he will use the funds to complete the new production line and buy equipment, adding that he plans to start fibreboard production in March, next year.
Habiyaremye points out that he will also use rice stalks and grass to make similar boards, adding that he has already introduced the idea to rice growers who will supply the rice waste.
"I will buy one hydraulic press machine worth Rwf12 million and three other equipment at Rwf18 million. The machines will produce at least eight MDF boards or triplex boards per hour,” Habiyaremye explains.
Future plans
Habiyaremye plans to start a vocational training centre (VTC) to share his skills with other interested Rwandans when the fibreboard-making project starts operating next year.
"My vision is to make substitutes to wood, which I hope will significantly contribute to environmental conservation in the next five years. That’s also the reason why I want to share the knowledge of making fibreboards from banana stems with interested Rwandans. The district has already allocated the project working space that can host at least 300 students per session,” he says. He notes that he is still seeking authorisation to start the training centre from the Workforce Development Authority (WDA), which he says will offer scholarships to interested vulnerable youth, which they can repay after getting jobs on completion.
Habiyaremye also says he plans making roofing materials from maize stalks and leaves, and to venture into foundry business to add value to minerals extracted in the country. "I also want to write books in the future to share my knowledge and skills with fellow countrymen and women, as well as the world.”
Habiyaremye has shown that dreaming big plus creativity will always propel any person to greater heights, and that anything is possible when one puts their heart and mind into it. It could always seem impossible at the beginning, but with commitment and innovation, your efforts will bear fruit.
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