Additional Chief Secretary, Panchayats and Rural Development, Aruna Sharma while addressing Bamboo Investment Meet at Academy of Administration on Monday laid emphasis on making bamboo a source of permanent livelihood. She said that large-scale employment opportunities can be generated in rural areas by growing bamboo on private lands along with forests.
Bamboo should be made alternative of wood to curb cutting of trees and ensure environmental conservation. She said that apart from, villagers financial growth will be boosted by promoting bamboo-based material and its value addition.
Sharma suggested adopting bamboo production as a business model. She stressed the need to form bamboo producer companies in rural areas. Sharma said that research should be undertaken for scientific production of bamboo and promoting innovations. She also stressed the need to ensure loan facility from banks on priority to promote bamboo plantation projects.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Narendra Kumar informed that intense efforts have been made for development of bamboo production in Madhya Pradesh. Innovations are also being encouraged. Kumar expressed concern that bamboo production in the state has declined constantly during last 30 years. He also laid emphasis on development of new areas of bamboo production.
Director of bamboo-based furniture industry ‘Vedha’ Sunil Joshi said that knowledge about bamboo production should be shared. He said that bamboo is green gold. We can give a new direction to economic upliftment of rural areas through this environment-friendly product. Director of ‘Artisans Agrotech’ Deb Mukherjee said that bamboo revolution can help change life of rural people. Opportunities of permanent livelihood can be made available to rural people by growing bamboo on useless and fallow land in scientific way.
Mukherjee informed that success has been achieved in taking commercial yield of bamboo at Choral near Indore and Barwah area. Meanwhile, discussions were also held on main recommendations of two-day Bamboo Investors Meet. Director of Bamboo Mission AK Bhattacharya, subject experts, investors from different countries and bamboo industry representatives from various states of the country attended the meet.