The Navsari Agriculture University (NAU) in Gujarat has standardised a process of manufacturing high-value paper from banana fibre, which it claims has the property of making currency notes lasting for about a century.

“We have standardised the process of making high-value paper from the banana fibre. The paper has been tested at the Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology,” Dr B.N. Kolambe, a scientist at Navsari Agriculture University (NAU), told PTI.

“During the research, it was found that paper made out of this fibre has a shelf-life of over 100 years as it is the strongest of the long fibres ever found amid natural fibres. It can be folded for 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,” Mr Kolambe said.

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

A 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 Ltd imports very high grade quality cotton rags and pulp to manufacture the paper required for currency, the official said on condition of anonymity.

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