NEW DELHI: China's total export value of bamboo products is $ 550 million per annum. This has prompted the Centre to launch a National Bamboo Mission with an outlay of over Rs. 500 crore over five years, with great expectations of employment generation.

It has been recognised that India has the largest bamboo forests in the world which need to be harnessed for remunerative returns to growers and for better marketing. The bamboo sector can create employment of about 50.4 million mandays on 1.76 lakh hectares over five years. In the nursery sector, the total estimated annual employment generation will be around 9.7 lakh mandays. Besides, there will be employment generation in both skilled and unskilled segments in the handicraft sector. Bamboo is increasingly being looked at as an industrial material to replace wood.

Agriculture Ministry sources say the mission will focus on setting up of nearly 200 Bamboo Bazaars. From the fourth year of plantation targets, it is expected that 3.02 million tonnes of bamboo will be produced per year. In the meantime, existing stocks will be improved and several hectares will be covered under pest and disease management and micro irrigation. The aim is to improve bamboo productivity to the average level of up to 18 tonnes per hectare from the current level of 2-3 tonnes.

Research and development

The Agriculture Ministry will promote research and development to improve the quality of the produce and acreage. It will focus on marketing to assure specific returns to growers and producers.

For this, cooperatives and self-help groups will be encouraged.

The demand for bamboo has in increased within the country and abroad as a raw material for furniture making, as panel boards substituting wood, as agricultural implements, house/construction related uses and as a vegetable. In India, 8.69 million hectares of forests have bamboo, about 12.8 per cent of forest cover.

Two-thirds of the stock is in the northeast which is used mostly for utensils, farm tools, shelter, fences, bridges and water pipes. India ranks second (136 species) in the world after China (with 300 species) in bamboo diversity.

Region-specific plans

The mission's programmes on research, plantation development, handicrafts development and marketing will be specific to the regions concerned and States. The Union Agriculture Minister will chair a national apex committee.

The Ministers of Forest, Textiles, Science and Technology, Commerce, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Urban Development, Development of Northeastern Region and Small Scale Industries, Ministers of Forest/ Agriculture/ Horticulture from select States, Member (Environment and Forests) in the Planning Commission and experts will be members on the committee.

State-level committees will be formed to oversee implementation.

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