APBRDA, NRL ink MoU for sourcing bamboo for NRL's Assam

The Arunachal Pradesh Bamboo Resources Development Agency (APBRDA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) here.
The MoU was signed by Yura Tugung, Vice Chairman, APBRDA and Bruno Ekka, General Manager (Marketing), NRL and would pave way for sourcing three lakh tons of bamboo per year by NRL, a public sector enterprise under the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, from the state.
NRL is implementing a bio-refinery in Assam to produce bio-ethanol from available non-food bio-mass feedstock of bamboo and the project is proposed to be implemented in two years time.
Chief Minister Nabam Tuki appreciated APBRDA for the initiative that would offer a permanent source of revenue for bamboo farmers and communities owning to vast bamboo groves.

He advised the officials of NRL to coordinate with APBRDA and conduct awareness camps across the state for benefit of bamboo growers and said people would have to be made aware of the scientific know-how on regeneration of bamboo plants.
"The technique of recycling the bamboo plants has to be imparted to the people so that on one hand bamboos are cut down for outsourcing and on the other hand these are re-grown. This must go simultaneously so that at no point of time bamboo gets scarce," the Chief Minister pointed out.

NRL authorities said the MoU would help identify bamboo catchment areas for primary processing by the communities for converting into bio-fuel.

NRL would also set up bamboo processing clusters in the state, which would ultimately promote bamboo plantation and processing for value addition along with providing large scale sustainable employment opportunities for people in bamboo plantations and bamboo semi-processing units.
"We look forward for successful implementation of the MoU for availing long term supply of bamboo for the bio-refinery on mutually beneficial terms for both Arunachal Pradesh and NRL," said Bruno Ekka.