Betnoti in the Mayurbhanj district is a hub of bamboo production and it is the most suitable place for establishment of a bamboo cluster. Baleswar MP RK Jena demanded for establishment of a bamboo cluster in the area in the Parliament recently. Participating in a debate in the ongoing winter session, Jena said Betnoti region alone caters to about 50 per cent of need of bamboo in the eastern India and establishment of a cluster in the area would give the much-needed boost to the sector.
“A study conducted by the Finance Corporation of India revealed that survival of bamboo sapling is 80 per cent in Betnati in comparison to 75 per cent in north east States. More so, the quality of bamboo grown here is high. The raw material is exported from the region and with value addition the companies earn a profit of ten times than the input cost. But the irony is that the poor tribal people get hardly anything,” said Jena.
Saying that Government intervention is required, he said the cluster would include everything including buying, selling, market, growing know how technology and skill development for artisans.
The cluster formation includes infrastructure building, loan and technical knowhow to the growers, training for artisans and market linkage etc. The sector involves inter-ministerial department, including Finance, Industry and MSME. The encouragement required mainly is subsidy on capital investment and tax incentive, the MP said.
According to sources, monthly about 5 lakh MT of bamboo, including 3.6 lakh MT from Mayurbhanj is exported to outside State.It is extensively grown in Betnoti, Takatpur, Udla, Shamakhunta and Rairangpur of Mayurbhanj while in Baleswar it is cultivated in Jaleswar, Bhograi, Soro and Rupsa region. Three varieties of bamboo, Badia, Sundarkani and Salia are generally cultivated in the area of which Sundarkani is the best.