Northeast bamboo reserve will boost India's economy post-lockdown

A CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: DoNER Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Sunday said that bamboo is vital to India's post- COVID economy; and asserted that it will provide an opportunity for India to emerge as an economic power with the support of its bamboo resources.

"The Northeast consists 60 per cent of India's reserve of bamboo. It is also a great advantage that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while this government -- over the last six years -- has accorded the highest priority to the development of the north-eastern region, it has at the same time given the Bamboo sector the kind of boost which it had never received since Independence," said Dr Singh while addressing a 'Bamboo Conclave' through video conference.

Representatives of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), the Union Ministry of Agriculture and stakeholders from different sectors participated in the video conferencing.

Dr Singh referred to the amendment in the 100-year-old Indian Forest Act brought about by the Modi government in 2017, as a result of which, home-grown bamboo has been exempted from it in order to enhance the livelihood opportunities through bamboo.

The sensitivity with which the Modi government views the importance of the promotion of Bamboo, said Dr Singh, is evident from the fact even during the lockdown period, the Ministry of Home Affairs on April 16, while allowing limited activities in different sectors, also allowed the functioning of bamboo related activities like planting, process etc.

It is an irony, said Dr Singh, while the total requirement of "Agarbatti" in India is about 2,30,000 per annum and the market value of it is up to Rs 5,000 crore, we have been importing a large bulk of it from countries like China and Vietnam. In the post-COVID era, it is an opportunity for the north- eastern region to help India become world competitive and self-sufficient in the changed scenario, he said.

In the near future, Dr Singh said that the DoNER Ministry will try to work out a time-bound plan for the promotion of bamboo manufacturing and trade, and also work out the feasibility of Public Private Partnership (PPP) in this sector.

He pointed out that bamboo can be processed into multiple products, including bio-diesel and green fuel, wooden lumbers and plywood, which can change the entire face of the economy and create employment opportunities in multiple sectors. 

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