The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has recently inaugurated 22 bamboo clusters across nine states, namely Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Uttarakhand, and Karnataka. The online event also included the unveiling of the National Bamboo Mission (NBM) logo. This move is part of a wider initiative to promote the bamboo industry in India, leveraging its rich history in traditional crafts, introducing modern technologies, and providing youth training opportunities.
Reviving the Bamboo Industry: Initiatives and Amendments
Tracing back to ancient times, the use of bamboo has been a significant part of Indian tradition. Nowadays, its cultivation and utilization are supported by modern technology and youth training. Transformative changes have been introduced with the amendment of the Indian Forest Act 1927 in 2017. This revision removed bamboo from the category of trees, thereby enabling anyone to cultivate and trade in bamboo and its products without requiring felling and transit permission.
Moreover, the import policy has undergone modifications to further boost the progress of the country’s bamboo industry. NBM provides support to local artisans who use home-grown bamboo species. Such a strategy aligns with the campaign of Vocal for Local, aiming to augment farmers’ income while decreasing dependence on raw material imports.
Species Selection, Planting Materials, and FPOs
In a quest to cater to industry demands, ten essential bamboo species have been identified, and quality planting material is now accessible to farmers for plantation purposes. In addition to existing Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), an additional 10,000 new FPOs are set to be established within five years.
Effective FPOs offer a spectrum of assistance to farmers, such as educating them about improved farming practices, consolidating input purchases, bridging transportation needs, linking with markets, and ensuring better price realisation by removing intermediaries.
Common Facility Centres and the National Bamboo Mission
Common Facility Centres are strategically positioned near plantations, reducing transportation costs and promoting local entrepreneurship, thereby advocating for a zero-waste approach. The revamped NBM was launched in 2018-19 to holistically develop the bamboo sector’s complete value chain, using a hub (industry) and spoke model.
The mission aims at linking farmers with markets, ensuring the availability of market-ready bamboo and an increased supply of suitable raw materials for domestic industries. Skill-upgrade initiatives are also part of this mission, connecting traditional bamboo craftsmen with premier institutes and enterprises to meet contemporary market demands.
National Skill Development Agency
The Sector Skill Councils, established under the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) will provide skills training and recognize prior learning of traditional artisans. NSDA is an independent entity under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship that harmonises skill initiatives in the country.
New Logo for National Bamboo Mission
The freshly unveiled logo of NBM features a bamboo culm at the center of a circle, half composed of an industrial wheel and half of farmers, reflecting the objectives of NBM aptly. The green and yellow colors represent bamboo, often referred to as green gold.
A Leap towards Aatmanirbhar Krishi
States are urged to advance the objectives of the National Bamboo Mission, contributing to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan through “Aatmanirbhar Krishi” or self-reliant farming. India, with its abundance of bamboo and rapidly growing industry, has the potential to assert a powerful presence in global markets by escalating the exports of both engineered and handcrafted products.
