Three MBA graduates from Bihar have built a business generating Rs. 2.5 crore in annual revenue by converting discarded banana stems into useful products, including yoga mats, baskets, file folders and prayer mats. Jagat Kalyan, Satyam Kumar and Nitish Verma founded Taruwar Agro Industries in 2021 with an initial investment of Rs. 15 lakh. By using agricultural waste as a raw material, the company has developed a business model that creates value from resources often discarded after banana harvesting while opening up additional income opportunities for farmers.

The company reported revenue of Rs. 2.5 crore in the financial year 2025–26. Its operations focus on collecting discarded banana stems and processing them into fibre, which is then used to manufacture a range of products. Rather than allowing the agricultural material to go to waste, the founders have built a production process that turns it into commercially useful goods. The approach combines waste utilisation with manufacturing, creating an alternative source of value from banana cultivation.

Sustainability is central to the company's business model. The founders have also found ways to use leftover material from production instead of discarding it. Residual waste is converted into vermicompost and plant nutrition products, allowing more of the raw material to be used. This approach helps reduce agricultural waste while making use of locally available resources. By creating several outputs from banana stems, the company aims to make its operations more resource-efficient and build a business around materials that might otherwise have limited commercial value.

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Taruwar Agro Industries also works with farmers, providing opportunities to earn additional income after the banana harvest. Traditionally, the primary commercial value of banana cultivation comes from selling the fruit, but the company's model allows discarded stems to become another source of revenue. According to the report, the business has created additional earning opportunities for farmers and generated local employment through its processing and manufacturing activities. These benefits connect the company's commercial growth with livelihoods in the agricultural communities supplying its raw materials.

The three founders first met while pursuing their MBA degrees. Jagat Kalyan, who comes from Khagaria, Nitish Verma from Bihar Sharif and Satyam Kumar from Darbhanga decided to establish a business in their home state despite having opportunities to pursue employment elsewhere, including abroad. Kalyan said the COVID-19 pandemic prompted them to consider building something of their own. Instead of immediately taking up available jobs, the friends spent months studying different possibilities and researching potential business opportunities before settling on banana cultivation as the foundation for their venture.

Bihar's position as a major banana-producing state helped the founders identify an opportunity to make productive use of agricultural waste. Their research led them to banana stems as a locally available raw material that could support fibre production and the manufacture of everyday products. Since starting with Rs. 15 lakh in 2021, the company has developed its operations into a business reporting Rs. 2.5 crore in revenue for FY26. Its experience illustrates how agricultural by-products can become the basis for a commercial enterprise while supporting farmers and creating employment through locally driven manufacturing.

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