21st February, 2022

Author: Preeti Sharma (Content Writer)

Mehul did a project on Entrepreneurship in his second year of MBA; during this time, he visited nearly 20-25 Entrepreneurs of diverse fields and learned about the start up's, but Mehul was not comfortable as he was searching for more in post agro harvesting and reached the conclusion that beginning something else in agribusiness, particularly in post harvesting, which has immense opportunities, and is still underexplored. Mehul Shroff was born and raised in the Madhya Pradesh area of Burhanpur, which is also noted for its exquisite banana crop.

Mehul Shroff, who comes from a prominent business family, has always had a passion for the environment and wanted to create biodegradable items to help conserve the environment, and after earning his MBA, he had a strong interest in the agriculture sector. However, Burhanpur, a district in Madhya Pradesh, is well-known for banana farming in the country. To begin this procedure, Mehul spoke with numerous farmers who were active in banana production and discovered that they did not have any post-harvesting facilities although the entire tree only yielded 30% bananas, with the remaining 70% being waste, which was being burned by farmers and polluting the environment.

This was the tipping moment, and Mehul began his investigation into post-harvesting in 2017. Mehul considers that when you become an entrepreneur, only work and effort counts, and for a venture that is unconventional, you must divide your time into four sections, viz. Knowing market trend, future prospects, and who your existing and future customers are, and harmonizing everything accordingly. Individuals are becoming more environmentally conscious. So, in order to meet future demands for eco - friendly products, Mehul prioritized the notion of creating banana fiber through post-harvesting. Mehul began meeting with farmers and explaining how they might help save the environment by donating banana tree waste to his group.

Mehul and his employees are focusing on a mission that includes not only establishing a unit in Burhanpur and earning money, but also developing a unique company franchise in which the main artisans are farmers who play an essential part in this business. His main goal is not to simply acquire their crop residue, but to be involved with them for a longer period of time and help them comprehend. He desired that the product be both marketable and environmentally friendly. Although it has not been an easy journey from 2018 to the present, there have been many struggles and lessons learned. Praveen Singh, the district collector of Burhanpur, is his role model because the manner he guided him from the beginning has helped him a lot to get to this level as Mehul Shroff told to The HULAHUL Times.

Previously, banana extraction research was carried, but to make it feasible for the future was unknown. The district authority has approached The Navsari Agricultural University to look at the data of banana cultivation in Burhanpur and neighboring villages, as well as how post harvesting might be implemented. To have a better understanding, Mehul visited the National Banana Research Center in Tiruchirappalli and other sites, met various people involved in the very same activity, and afterwards learned the entire notion of Banana Extraction. He always feels that it is a project that involves innovation, and setting up a project that incorporates the residue or waste from a tree for years and connecting it with the future is a major effort in and of itself. He is certain that with an extensive research, one could create an infinite number of products from agricultural waste.

The current workforce consists of expertise people from the cotton textile industry and womens from adjacent villages who primarily work on handicrafts and utility products such as brooms. Other individuals encounter the development and marketing of Banana Fiber. Setting up a business in rural India is difficult in terms of getting people to comprehend it, but he is grateful to everyone who has helped him in every way.

There have been failures, which he says have taught him a valuable lesson in managing and increasing business prospects. The initial stage of setting up the project and educating the farmers about the use of banana stems in eco-friendly products was difficult, but with time, things began to turn, and now the farmers voluntarily contact them for a residual portion. The continuous efforts are now paying the results that Burhanpur has been awarded as One District One Product because of Banana and its byproduct.

Mehul Shroff was awarded a grant from the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna, which enabled him to expand up this effort. Despite the fact that he is grateful to the farmers without whom this project would not be feasible, as well as the District and Madhya Pradesh governments for their ongoing support of starting needs in developing sustainable lives. Besides from banana fibers, Mehul's ambition now includes a comprehensive understanding of the application of organic liquid fertilizer, which will be in high touch in the future, as well as the production of eco-friendly sanitary napkins from banana fiber. His ambition is to turn this endeavor into a team effort. He expresses gratitude to his colleagues, particularly Dharmendra Patil, whose significant knowledge is a key component of the project.