Sabahan Women Transform Banana Trunks into Sustainable Crafts

Turning Agricultural Waste into Eco-Friendly Products

In Kampung Kurangji, Kota Marudu, Sabah, local women work with farmer Hanisa Boumin. They use banana trunks that would be wasted to craft eco-friendly products. After a banana harvest, farmers burn the tough outer layers. This act creates waste and pollution. Hanisa sees how groups in Africa, Indonesia, and India change banana trunks into useful items. Since 2023, she uses banana fibre from pisang tanduk and pisang nangka. She crafts baskets, handbags, coasters, and lampshade covers.

Sustainable Fibre with Strong Eco Benefits

Banana fibre wins favor as a green alternative to synthetic goods. A 2023 study in Universiti Tun Hussein Onn notes that banana fibre is light, non-toxic, strong, and biodegradable. The study explains that the fibre resists corrosion and breaks down safely. People around the world use banana byproducts for textiles, biomass energy, paper, and sustainable sanitary pads. In Sabah, many handweave the fibre into ropes and souvenirs. They give new value to agricultural waste and boost a circular economy.

Community Empowerment and Economic Impact

Hanisa started a small business called Kogozz. In Dusun, Kogozz means “to tie.” The enterprise earns RM600 to RM1,000 monthly. Hanisa teaches over 30 women from six villages. These women include homemakers, single mothers, and farmers. They learn to process dried banana fibre at home. They balance household work with making crafts. Their items sell via social media and local bazaars.

One beneficiary, Vida Maijon, is a homemaker and childhood friend of Hanisa. Vida makes crafts that earn about RM300 monthly. This income helps improve life for her children. The project gives extra income and builds women’s financial independence and community ties.

Recognition and the Road Ahead

Hanisa’s fresh idea made her one of the 10 winners of Pitch Borneo 2025. She secured RM20,000 in startup funds to expand production and invest in machines. Today, extracting banana fibre remains hard work. Hanisa hopes to make the process faster and see a bigger impact.

This initiative shows how old skills and new business ideas can transform farm waste into valuable, eco-friendly crafts. It supports environmental care and builds strong, resilient rural communities in Sabah.

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