DoNER minister emphasises giving thrust to bamboo cultivation

Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said there are many unexplored potentials in the North East and one of them is bamboo cultivation, as 50 per cent of the produce of the country comes from this region.

North East may be the biggest storehouse of bamboo but its market extends all over India, Singh said while inaugurating the Cane and Bamboo Technology Park-cum-Office Premises of Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC) at Burnihat.

"It is now upto us how we utilize it, what we produce,how much and how far can we reach, where we can capture market and how it can also become the source of livelihood for the youth", he said.

The Minister urged the youth of the region to utilize home grown bamboo to produce different commodities, which will help them earn livelihoods from home.

The North Eastern Council (NEC) and other organizations under the DoNER ministry would always help them to facilitate their marketing beyond the region, he added.

The minister highlighted the importance of creating awareness about the benefits of bamboo industry and the products being manufactured from it.

NEC Secretary and CBTC Chairman- Ram Muivah-said that the Cane and Bamboo Technology park was a long awaited dream which has finally materialized.

Bamboo is one of the focussed areas of NEC since last year and plans are being prepared for upgradation and strengthening of the CBTC, he added.

The Union Minister also visited the Cane and Bamboo Technology workshop and the product stalls within the compound of the park.

The Bamboo Technology park has been developed to deal exclusively with bamboo and cane, catering to the needs of the industries, entrepreneurs, designers, crafts persons, rural people, teachers, policy makers, technicians and technologists.

The centre will identify and transfer appropriate manufacturing techniques, provide technical assistance, along with specific services such as laboratory testing and quality assurance.

The CBTC has trained more than 5400 artisans, students, farmers and entrepreneurs of the region as well as foreign countries in Cane and Bamboo Technology.