INDIA - $5,450
Banana-based Products
Project Director - Mr. S. Mathivanan

20 women self-help group members from Karur District, Tamil Nadu, are participating in this one-year project.

The women will process bananas into products such as jelly, jam, dry chips, powder, and vermicelli. They will be trained for a month and $250 per woman will be given as seed money. Loans will be repaid at 12% annual interest, beginning the sixth month after the loan. Monthly payment will be $12.50 for 22 months.

INCOME PER DAY: $35

EXPENSE PER DAY: $30

NET PER DAY (MONTH): $5 ($125)

LOAN PAYMENT: $12.50

NET INCOME PER MONTH: $110-115

From R. Kannan’s site visit report, “Snekithi has five trained staff. They have formed 50 self-help groups, and are running two creches and helping dropout children to continue education. The project is viable due to the availability of bananas. Snekithi has good connection with the Banana Research Centre for trainings and technical backup.”

Project Completed: December 31, 2008