Tripura Government Unveils Five-Year Plan To Boost Bamboo Production

AGARTALA: The Tripura government has initiated a five-year plan with a vision to considerably increase bamboo production for industrial use, with a target to increase the existing 461.32 hectares to 45,000 hectares by 2025-26. The step is expected to give a boost to the state's bamboo sector and make Tripura a leading supplier of bamboo products in India.

Tripura meets nearly 70% of the country's entire demand for the manufacturing of agarbattis (incense sticks). The state has a total area of about 4.2 lakh hectares of land that is occupied by bamboo, of which 21 types of bamboo are cultivated, according to the report of Forest Survey of India in 2023. This land is suitable for industrial-scale production only on a limited extent.

Subhash Chandra Das, Additional Mission Director of the Tripura Bamboo Mission (TBM), highlighted the plan's focus on creating a streamlined supply chain to improve bamboo accessibility for industries. “Transportation from remote areas has been a significant challenge. By cultivating bamboo on private land in more accessible locations, we aim to resolve this issue,” Das stated.

The Tripura Bamboo Plantation Development Scheme will promote high-density bamboo plantations supported by government organizations like MGNREGA and the Tribal Welfare Department. Market demand for bamboo is expected to double from 2 lakh metric tons to 4 lakh metric tons per annum in the coming years with the expansion of the existing and emerging bamboo-based industries.

The state government is also going to come up with an Integrated Bamboo Park in Unakoti district, which will also need a regular supply of good quality bamboo, further enhancing economic opportunities for the farmers in the region.

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