Banana paper

Banana paper is used in two different senses: one refers to a paper made from the bark of the banana plant and which is mainly used for artistic purposes; the other to paper made from banana fiber obtained, through an industrial process, from stems and the non-utilizable fruits. This paper can be either hand or machine made.

The banana agricultural industry processes 42 million tonnes (41,000,000 long tons; 46,000,000 short tons) of bananas every year (with 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi) planted). As a result of pulling apart the banana bunches from the main stem, there are leftover stems which contain 5% of fiber useful for the manufacture of paper.