Bamboo has huge potential to boost rural economy, mitigate climate change: Experts

Agriculture and horticulture officers were sensitised about bamboo cultivation and its economic potential at a five-day special training programme organised under the Central Government-sponsored National Bamboo Mission (NBM) by the Regional Horticulture Research Station (RHRS) at Jachh in Nurpur. The workshop concluded on the premises of the research station on Friday evening. Subject matter specialists and Agriculture Development Officers from Kangra, Chamba, Una and Hamirpur districts participated in the training.

Vipan Guleria, Associate Director of the RHRS and in-charge of the workshop, said, “Bamboo is the fastest carbon-sequestering crop and has wide applications in paper pulp, plywood and construction sectors.” He added that bamboo cultivation had significant potential in mitigating climate change while also strengthening rural economies.

He said, “India is the world’s second-largest bamboo producer and the crop is increasingly being treated as an important renewable resource for rural livelihoods, besides its use in construction, rayon, plywood, biochar production and pulp industries. The state government is also promoting bamboo cultivation under the NBM.”

Guleria highlighted the scope of bamboo cultivation in the state and said that eight species of bamboo were found in Himachal Pradesh, including various prominent varieties. Sudhir Sharma, Director of Kuantum Papers, Hoshiarpur (Punjab), told the participants that the annual requirement of bamboo in the pulp industry in the country was about 30 lakh metric tonnes, while only around 20 lakh metric tonnes were at present available, leaving a deficit of nearly 10 lakh metric tonnes. “To bridge this gap, bamboo is being imported from other countries. If productivity is increased, it will create enormous livelihood opportunities for farmers,” he said. The NBM could prove to be a game changer for the rural economy in Himachal, he asserted.

Renu Kapoor, a soil scientist, said that biochar produced from bamboo had immense potential in water treatment, cosmetics, agriculture nutrition and carbon sequestration. She added that the RHRS, Jachh, would soon set up a bamboo biochar plant, which would help farmers get better prices for their produce.

The NBM is a Central Government-sponsored scheme aimed at promoting holistic growth of the bamboo sector by expanding cultivation area, supporting farmers, generating livelihood opportunities and ensuring better marketing of bamboo produce.