Sisal production in Tanzania is on the rise, and will continue to grow thanks to research that has uncovered new uses for the fiber, according to a report in All Africa..

Long prized for its strength and durability, sisal was traditionally made into ropes and woven into carpets. Now, it has found new uses – bio fertilizers, biofuel, industrial alcohols, paper pulp and buffing cloth and as an ideal conduit for mosquito repellent.

In a recent facility tour, Ifakara Health Institute’s research scientist Nico Govella explained to Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete how strips of sisal can be woven into flowerpot holders, for example, which are then treated with the mosquito repellent transfluthrin. Anyone seated within a two-yard radius of the pot is protected from the bites of the anopheles arabiensis mosquito, responsible for the majority of malaria transmissions. In tests, the treated sisal product was effective indoors and out, according to a report in All Africa.

Having a convenient way to protect people from mosquito bites is in great demand – a demand that Tanzania is in an ideal position to fill, the report said.

In the past four years, sisal production in Tanzania has risen from 16,500 tons a year to more than 40,000 tons. According to the Tanzania Sisal Board, the country has the potential to produce more than 550,000 tons of sisal.

To accomplish that, former sisal estates need to be brought back to full capacity. In the 1980s and 1990s, sisal production declined as synthetic fibers were developed. With the new surge in demand for sisal products, families that depend on the crop for their livelihood stand to substantially increase profits and standards of living.

Prices for sisal have risen too – from $636 per ton in 2010 to $1200 in 2011. Current prices range from $1200 to $1500 per ton.

Brazil is the world’s largest supplier of sisal. In 2012, Tanzania was the second largest supplier. Kenya also produces and exports sisal.