January 25, 2002

'13'

NATIONAL MISSION ON BAMBOO APPLICATIONS

        A major National Mission on Bamboo Applications is being envisaged as a special action plan under the Tenth Five Year Plan. This is in pursuance of the announcement by the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi on the need for a national level programme on bamboo, to address the agrarian economy especially in the remote regions of the country where development initiatives have not penetrated so far. Innovative techniques for value-addition would immensely contribute to sustainable livelihood and also augment the employment generation potential in the rural sector. Such value-added utilization of bamboo, a fast growing renewable resource, towards developing wood substitutes would help reduce the strain on our environment and the fragile ecology. This Mission would be an ideal platform for demonstrating the "technology with a human face".

        Announcing this at a Press Conference here today, Dr. D. N. Tiwari, Member (Science), Planning Commission said, India has the unique advantage of having about 25 varieties of bamboo with great commercial potential, for both the domestic and the export market. He said the total value-added business from bamboo would be about Rs. 30, 000 crore per annum. Dr. Tiwari who has been championing the cause for a concerted action on the bamboo resources as a national agenda, has envisioned a coordinated approach with key ministries/departments and agencies in the State/Central Government as well as with national laboratories and NGOs to develop a major special action plan on bamboo technologies. The Mission is planned to target a few major sectors like building and construction, industrial and consumer products, food processing and packaging etc. On the intervention by the Government to the tune of Rs. 100 to 120 crore, the Bamboo Mission is envisaged to generate a business volume of Rs. 1100 to 1200 crore by way of value-added products.

        Taking into consideration the effective performance of various Missions undertaken by the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) of the Department of Science and Technology, it is being entrusted with the task of this Mission also. As a prelude to the Mission, TIFAC today signed an technology transfer agreement with a private firm in West Bengal as well as with the Department of Polymer Science and Technology, University of Calcutta to commercially produce a project on bamboo composite laminates, a new-age material as wood substitute with the promise of a large domestic and global market. The project aims at developing a complete range of bamboo composite laminates for furniture, flooring tiles, boards, door and window frames to replace the use of timber.

        A bamboo pole costing around Rs. 15 to 20 at village level would be converted to products worth Rs. 80 with significant employment generation potential, said the Executive Director of TIFAC Shri Y.S. Rajan. He also said that the Space Applications Centre being set up in the North East will be utilized in a big way for the success of the bamboo mission.