Ann: Business Proposal , page-15

Keeting states "How were the fibres in that little boat held together and did it contribute to the floatation properties witnessed in the video? Or was the demo about fire retardation. What was being demonstrated?"

What I was trying to say that banana fibre is very light. From what I saw of the boat, it looked about ten times lighter than water. If that is so, then it is 10 kg fibre per tonne by weight of harvested banana stems. They are also -really heavy- when fresh cut! Not easy to trasport by hand.

The banana fibres in the boat were probably held together by dried banana stem sap. I still believe it is an excellent material. In my opinion the most profitable use of the fibres was suggested by one of the shareholders in the first or second AGM: making coffins by compressing the outer sheath into a mould and then veneering it with the inner core material. It would be absolutely beautiful, environmentally friendly and could be sold easily for around $1500 per unit!

Banana stem material will never be used to mass produce paper because of the fibre to impurities ratio. However, I am sure that banana stem veneer is a vialbe business with the 'right' person in charge and with the right ideas.