Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said bamboo is vital to India's post-COVID-19 economy and the grass will provide an opportunity for the country to strengthen its economy.
Addressing a bamboo conclave through video conference, Singh, the Union Minister for the Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER), said the Northeast has 60 per cent of India's bamboo reserves.
Bamboo is vital to India's post-COVID-19 economy and the grass will provide an opportunity for the country to strengthen its economy, he said.
Singh said it is a great advantage that the Narendra Modi government has over the last six years accorded highest priority to the development of the region and at the same time, it has given the bamboo sector the kind of boost which it had never received since Independence.
In this regard, the minister referred to the amendment in the 100 year old Indian Forest Act in 2017, which resulted home grown bamboo being exempted as forest products in order to enhance livelihood opportunities for people through bamboo.
The sensitivity with which the Modi government views the importance of the promotion of bamboo, Singh said, is evident from the fact even during the lockdown period the functioning of bamboo-related activities was allowed.
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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, he said.
It is an irony, he said, while the total requirement of 'Agarbatti' in India is about 2,30,000 tons per annum with a market value of up to Rs 5,000 crore, India has been importing a large bulk of it from countries like China and Vietnam.
In the post-COVID-19 era, it is an opportunity for the Northeastern region to help India become world competitive and self-sufficient in the changed scenario, he said.
In the near future, Singh said, the DoNER will try to work out a time bound plan for promotion of bamboo manufacturing and trade, and also work out feasibility of Public Private Partnership (PPP) in this sector.
He said 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.
Among those who spoke in the conclave include Indever Pandey, Special Secretary, Ministry of DoNER; Alka Bhargav, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture; and Ramvir Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of DoNER.