Areca leaf products gaining popularity

Eco-friendly utensils made of areca nut leaf sheaths are becoming popular in Pirojpur’s Nesarabad upazila, replacing single-use plastic products.

The leaf sheath of the areca palm or betel nut plant is a strong biodegradable fibrous material. This lignocellulosic agricultural biomass resource is easily accessible, inexpensive, and renewable.

Areca palms are plentiful in the upazila as they grow naturally by the roads. An entrepreneur has started collecting the fallen leaves of the trees to use the sheath as raw material to make products such as plates, bowls and trays.

Union parishad member of Atghorkuriana Ward 2 Akram Hossain Ujjal started the business in the area. He established a small factory to produce plates, saucers, bowls, and trays of different sizes from the dried betel nut leaf sheath.

The products are being sold in various districts including Pirojpur, Barishal, Narayanganj and Dhaka.

The entrepreneur said he was inspired by watching videos on YouTube and bought the machine from Khulna. He established a factory called AR Natural Plate this January along the Swarupkathi-Kuriyana road of the upazila.

There are currently eight permanent workers at his factory. There is also a staff dedicated to searching around and collecting fallen areca leaves.

Ujjal also makes local announcements via microphone to encourage people to sell areca leaves to the factory, providing the locals with an opportunity to earn money. People bring areca leaves directly to the factory to sell.

The base part of the leaf, also known as a sheath, is washed, cleaned and dried. It is then run through the machine to make utensils of various sizes, shapes and designs.

The products are sold for Tk 4-8 depending on size.

The entrepreneur believes that expanding this trade will benefit the environment as well as boost the economy.

In this regard, entrepreneur Ujjal said that he bought a small machine and built this factory on a small scale.

"So far I have gotten good responses from the buyers and the products are in good demand. If the industry gets financial support from the government it can expand further," he said, adding that this will create employment opportunities for many men and women in the area.

Although the price is a little higher than plastic, Ujjal thinks there is no alternative to it in terms of environmental protection.

He said, "People are environmentally conscious these days and they appreciate eco-friendly products. Currently we have more purchase orders than our production capacity."

He further added that they are struggling to meet the demands as it exceeds their production capacity. However, if production is expanded, Ujjal believes the products can also be exported as there is a high demand for eco-friendly utensils abroad.

Nesarabad Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mahabub Ullah Majumder said he applauds the eco-friendly initiative taken by Ujjal and urged the public to use biodegradable products.

"Expanding this sector will create employment for the unemployed youth of the area. The upazila administration will try to support his venture. Using these products instead of single use plastic will reduce environmental pollution a lot," he added.

Pirojpur Deputy Commissioner Md Zahedur Rahman said that the government will provide all kinds of cooperation in the production and use of these environmentally friendly products.

"We have to sustain this initiative. The entrepreneur has already been contacted through the upazila administration in regards to receiving further assistance," he said.