Not many people believed in PM Murugesan when he decided to tread a different path and came up with an idea to make ropes from banana fibre.
However, 12 years later, the 52-year-old farmer from Madurai was mentioned in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat programme for his agro-based innovation.
A farmer from Melakkal village in Vadipatti taluk has developed four types of machinery to make rope out of plantain waste, three out of which are patented.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister lauded the agro-based entrepreneur and said, “Murugesan’s innovation would not just solve the waste disposal problem but also open up new avenues of income for the farmers.”
Expressing happiness on having won praises from the Prime Minister, the thrilled Murugesan said that Modi’s wishes have inspired and motivated him to strive hard and train many farmers across the country by providing them with a means of livelihood.
Sharing his journey with a publication, Murugesan said, “Hailing from an agricultural family, I dropped out of school after class VIII and was introduced to farming by my father. We have been cultivating paddy and banana on our two-and-a-half-acre land. In 2009, I thought of recycling banana fibre and turning it into a value-added product by making ropes out of it. I was ridiculed for the idea. However, I did not care and went ahead with my plan.”
In six months, Murugesan single-handedly developed the ‘handle rope making machine’ in 2010.
Surjitt Sahani
