spotted a news item from a few months ago --> "Walkamin's World...

spotted a news item from a few months ago --> "Walkamin's World Firsts" (from "Blues Country" whatever that is) loaded at PPY's website at http://www.papyrusaustralia.com.au/news/media/Blues_Country_Jun09.pdf

It gives some interesting info on what's going on behind the 'factory walls'. The following extract will interest PPY holders:

In conjunction with Adelaide-based Papyrus Australia, the [Walker] family has the first commercial grade banana processing plant that turns the trunks into high-quality banana ply paper and a range of building and packaging materials.

Some prototype plants of this nature have been in operation at Papyrus Australia’s Adelaide factory, but this is the first commercial on-farm plant.

"We have been in the development stages since 2008. Together with the fantastic team from Papyrus we have been gearing up this machinery for industrial-strength application, which hasn’t been without its challenges.

“Being on-farm the guys from Papyrus have had a huge transition, it’s a lot rougher than their city-based factory: we have the wet season to contend with and we get the banana trunks to processing a whole lot quicker.

“This means there is a lot more moisture in the trunks which adds to the challenges of processing”, Rob says.

"The amazing features of the processing plant include its ability to take a previously discarded product, the banana trunk and using little energy and no extra water or chemicals produce high-quality paper, veneer and other fibre-based building and packaging products.

"This is really the next generation of processing, it’s clean, green and recycles a product that was previously cut down and either left to rot or at best mulched”, he says.

“The facility will be able to take a 1.5 metre banana log- so it’s quite big. We plan to process the whole 200 acres of bananas through this plant, which will provide another value stream for us.

“With the threat of Philippines bananas on the horizon we believe Aussie farmers have to get everything possible out of their paddocks and this will be another way of doing it.

"We are honoured to be working with the highly skilled and dedicated team from Papyrus and to have the world’s first commercial plant operating here.”