Banana fibre paper for lasting currency notes

Gujarat-based Navsari Agriculture University (NAU) has standardised a process of manufacturing high value paper from banana fibre, which it claims can be used to make currency notes that last for about a century.

"We have standardised the process of making high value paper from  banana fibre. The paper has been tested in the Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology," B N Kolambe, an NAU, said.

"During research it was found that the paper made out of this fibre has shelf life of over 100 years as it is the strongest of the long fibres ever found among the natural fibres. It can be folded as many as 3,000 times," he said.

"This fibre has the potential to find application in making of the paper required for the printing of currency notes," Kolambe said.

"According to references in few leading journals, we found that Japan uses banana fibre to manufacture the paper required to print its currency Yen," he said.

Seconding his views, an RBI official said, "Banana fibre as an input raw material could be the secret behind the lasting currency of Japan, whereas the Indian currency is quite prone to getting soiled during transactions and has lower shelf life."

In the present set up, Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPCMIL) imports very high grade quality cotton rags and pulp to manufacture the paper required for currency notes, the official said on condition of anonymity.