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Press Release

Bamboo – offering sustainable greener solutions

India Today
January 10

The National Mission of Bamboo Applications is an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, for the development, promotion and commercialization of technologies for bamboo based products and applications in different application segments.

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Tapping Cradle to grave

Persistent infrastructural development, owing to the demands of the growing economy, in so many years has not come without its darker side effects. With the construction expansion, what has immediately suffered is the 'ecological equilibrium'.

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Bamboo Reincarnated

National Mission on Bamboo Applications, a Technology Mission, has revolutionised the bamboo sector by supporting and upgrading it with special emphasis on value added products and applications, supporting the government towards economic prosperity in the areas and amongst the people who are relatively disadvantaged.
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A Bamboo Revolution

Delhi University's South Campus is undertaking new constructions, the eco friendly way. The campus, which did not have a suitable space to run a canteen for quite some time, now takes pride in a nature friendly and aesthetically-classy cafeteria.
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Bend it like Bamboo

Stereotyped as only a handicraft material, the humble bamboo is basking in its re-found recognition as a top building and cladding material, reveals Minhazz Mazumdar Co-founder of The Bamboo Store, New Delhi, India's first dedicated bamboo studio.

If baskets or flutes are all that come to mind when you think of bamboo, think again!
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Commercial bamboo farming started in Jorhat

From A Correspondent?JORHAT, Aug 2 – Farmers in four development blocks here will have access to advanced technology in the cultivation of improved varieties of two indigenous species of bamboo – bhaluka (Bamboosa balcooa) and jati (Bamboosa tulda) – in their fields. The Jorhat district administration is executing an ambitious scheme to promote the commercial growing and harvest of bamboo at Koliapani, Selenghat, Baghchung and Titabor blocks within the district.

The New Delhi-based National Mission of Bamboo Applications (NMBA) is sponsoring the project, which has been envisaged by retired professor of the Assam Agricultural University Dr Tapan Dutta. Dr Dutta is also the agricultural adviser (honorary) to the Assam Chief Minister.

The funds to the tune of Rs 5.90 lakh are being released in phases. An amount of Rs 1.62 lakh had been earmarked for training alone for both experts associated with the bamboo cultivation project and farmers. During the first year of its implementation in , three training sessions and a seminar were held.

The purpose of the training was to expose the farmers and self-help groups to the various details relating to the commercial cultivation of bamboo through intensive management regimes, Jorhat District Agricultural Officer Ajit Sarmah, who is the nodal officer for the project, said. He claimed that the bamboo cultivation project under implementation was the first of its kind in Assam involving the direct participation of the government machinery.

Spelling out the objectives for undertaking the project, Sarmah pointed out that it was aimed at promoting bamboo cultivation in a professional manner on one hand and giving a thrust to the bamboo-based industries on the other. “We will provide bamboo cuttings developed at the Sotai-based Rain Forest Research Institute (RFRI) and fertilizers to the farmers,? he said, adding that there would be incentives for setting up vermi-compost units in the project area, too. As of now, the bamboo will be planted in 20 hectares of land.

The RFRI is collaborating in the project by providing technical support and imparting training to officials of the Agriculture and Soil Conservation departments, personnel of the District Rural Development Agency, scientists of the Assam Agricultural University, members of self-help groups and farmers who are involved in the bamboo cultivation project.

As bamboo is a fast-growing woody grass and has 1,500 well-documented uses, its cultivation may yield handsome profits to the farmers from the third year of growing itself, the Jorhat DAO stressed. The use of advanced technologies will lead to a greater output, thereby improving the financial benefits which will accrue to the farmers going for the cultivation and other entrepreneurs, Sarmah added.

The NMBA-aided bamboo project here will, hopefully, usher in economic development of the rural areas by throwing up avenues for exploring the full commercial potential of bamboo, regarded as the ‘green gold’ of the forest, the Jorhat DAO summed up.

The bamboo cultivation project is slated for completion in 2008. Jorhat Deputy Commissioner LS Changsan is the chairperson of the implementation committee formed for monitoring the progress of the project.