Bamboo

Maharashtra cabinet approves bamboo policy to create over 500,000 jobs

The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday approved its bamboo industry policy, which aims to attract an investment of Rs 50,000 crore and generate more than 5 lakh jobs. Under the Maharashtra Bamboo Industry Policy 2025, as many as 15 dedicated bamboo clusters will be developed across the state, with a focus on leveraging the carbon credit market, an official release stated. The policy seeks to promote bamboo cultivation and processing industries, offering farmers an eco-friendly and sustainable income alternative comparable to cash crops, it said. The policy aims to attract an investment of Rs 50,000 crore and generate more than 5 lakh employment opportunities over a period of 10 years, the release said. The cabinet also approved a development scheme for The People's Education Society, established by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. The plan includes renovation, conservation, and modernisation of the society's educational institutions and hostels. According to the release, nine educational ...

Amwoodo raises $4 mn in Pre-Series A round; Adventz among key investors

Bamboo-based sustainable solutions startup Amwoodo on Tuesday said it has raised USD 4 million in a Pre-Series A funding round that saw participation from Adventz Group, Rainmatter, Thinkuvate, and Caspian. The Kolkata-headquartered company said the fresh capital will be used to expand manufacturing capacity, strengthen its direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform Ecoconsious, launch new plastic-alternative brands under the House of Amwoodo, and deepen community engagement in bamboo-growing regions. Founded in 2019, Amwoodo has been developing bamboo-first products as alternatives to single-use plastics. It has established B2B partnerships with Himalaya Wellness, Bombay Shaving Company, and ITC Hotels, while also scaling its consumer business through Ecoconsious. "With this support, we are not just scaling a business; we are fueling a movement to make eco-conscious living the norm, not the exception," said Agni Mitra, Founder & CEO of Amwoodo.

PM's ₹18,530 cr push in Assam; launches bioethanol, polypropylene plants

PM Modi inaugurated India's first bamboo-based bioethanol plant and laid foundation for a polypropylene unit in Golaghat, alongside key road and health projects worth ₹18,530 crore in Assam

Japan to fund $400 million bamboo biofuel refinery project in India

Japan Bank for International Cooperation and private banks to invest around $408 million in bamboo-to-biofuel refinery in Assam, marking Japan's largest clean energy investment in northeast India

Ministry of DoNER working with Amazon to boost Bamboo market, says official

The Ministry of Development of North East Region would explore the market opportunities for Bamboo in domestic and overseas markets and it was working with Amazon and two other companies in this connection, a senior government official has said. Besides promoting Bamboo locally, the Ministry would also look for shipping them to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) Secretary Chanchal Kumar said. At a recent roadshow in Chennai, Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya M Scindia said nearly 38 per cent of the Bamboo was produced in the North Eastern States. This provides a huge opportunity for Chennai which has a huge furniture-making industry, he said. "Today, we can grow that Bamboo, process it to manufacture furniture and export it (to other parts of the country). Right now, my Ministry is working with Amazon and two other companies to adopt self-help groups in the Nor

Nitin Gadkari inaugurates world's tallest bamboo tower in Chhattisgarh

Gadkari urged the state government to formulate a policy encouraging bamboo use, stating that it could improve the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities in the region

Food, fuel, and timber: How bamboo is becoming 'green gold' for farmers

Bamboo cultivation with modern agronomic practices is proving more rewarding than many other crops, including the highly lucrative ones like sugarcane and cotton

Will India now replace steel crash barriers on highways with bamboo?

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Is keen on the technology's adoption and has already run pilots

NRL, IIT-Guwahati sign pact to develop green carbon from bamboo dust

The Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) and IIT-Guwahati have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to develop technology for production of marketable green carbon from bamboo dust. As part of the project, a plant of capacity 5 MT/batch will be set up to produce green activated carbon by pyrolysing bamboo dust, an official release said on Thursday. NRL Senior Chief General Manager (Corporate Affairs) Nikunja Borthakur and IIT-G Dean Prof G Krishnamoorthy signed the agreement on Wednesday. The R&D project is also aimed towards development of technology for production of very high grade chemically activated carbon having application in pharmaceutical, electronics and mining industries. It will be carried out as an industry-academia collaboration, and enhance the capacity of both NRL and IIT-G through provision of relevant data and information sharing, the release added.

'World's first' bamboo crash barrier installed on Maha highway: Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said a 200-meter-long bamboo crash barrier has been installed on a highway connecting Chandrapur and Yavatmal districts in Maharashtra, which he termed as the "world's first" such exercise. Calling it a "remarkable achievement" for the country and its bamboo sector, he said this crash barrier offers a perfect alternative to steel and addresses environmental concerns. In a tweet, Gadkari said, "An extraordinary accomplishment towards achieving #AatmanirbharBharat has been made with the development of the world's first 200-meter-long Bamboo Crash Barrier, which has been installed on the Vani-Warora Highway." The Minister of Road Transport and Highways said this bamboo crash barrier has been christened as "Bahu Balli". "It underwent rigorous testing at various government-run institutions, such as the National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX) in Pithampur, Indore, and was rated as Class 1 during the Fire Rating Test conducted at the Central ...

Himachal to start bio-energy production from pine needles, bamboo: CM

Himachal Pradesh will start a pilot project for bio-energy production from pine needles and bamboo as the state is blessed with an enormous wealth of coniferous forest and has a high potential for bamboo production, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said. The project would involve the local community and increase their income. The state government is all set to partner with the Indian School of Business (ISB) to provide policy inputs and research support for the emerging bio-energy sector, he said in a statement issued here on Saturday. "Many sectors like thermal power, cement and steel were exploring fossil fuel substitutes to reduce emissions. The scope can be expanded to include fuel briquettes made from pine needles as potential substitutes, which has the advantage of much higher calorific value and this would also pave the way for strengthening the rural economy," said Sukhu. ISB would provide the business model and technology to make this project a success and would also .

Bamboo plantation drive to be launched in Maharashtra's Latur on Monday

A bamboo plantation campaign will be launched in the rural areas of Maharashtra's Latur district on Monday to mark the birth anniversary of late BJP leader Gopinath Munde, an official said on Sunday. The campaign will be kicked off in Ramwadi (Khurd) village of Renapur tehsil by the BJP's district unit chief and MLC Ramesh Karad in the presence of farmers' leader and former MLC Pasha Patel, the official said. One lakh bamboo saplings will be planted as part of the campaign, he said.

Niti Aayog vice chairman stresses on increasing bamboo supply to industries

Bamboo is a natural product that can benefit many industries and it is high time the country uses it to its full potential, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said on Thursday. Kumar while addressing 'National Workshop on Bamboo Development Mission' further said the need of the hour is to work on increasing the supply to meet the growing demand for bamboo and its products. Also speaking at the event, Union minister Jitendra Singh said India has huge reserves of bamboo, however, there is still limited knowledge about its importance across industries & sectors. It is one commodity that can suffice all human needs, Singh added. Niti Aayog member V K Saraswat said the construction sector in India presents tremendous growth opportunities for bamboo, owing to its unique features. He added that bamboo's versatility, as a substitute, offers a chance to protect the forests which has immense economic and business potential.

Niti Aayog to hold national-level workshop on bamboo development tomorrow

Several stakeholders from India and abroad will attend the workshop

Govt plan to set up bio-gas plants will boost bamboo production: IBF

Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said that India will see an investment of Rs 2 lakh crore in setting up 5,000 plants that will produce gas from bio and crop wastes by 2023-24

Suresh Prabhu launches India Bamboo Forum to promote sector's growth

Suresh Prabhu has launched an independent forum with an aim to boost the bamboo sector by promoting entrepreneurship, research, and trade of high quality bamboo products in a sustainable manner

Bamboo industry to play crucial role in post-Covid economy: Jitendra Singh

The Narendra Modi government is planning to promote domestic bamboo industry which is going to play a critical role in shaping the post-Covid economy of India, Union minister Jitendra Singh said

The urgency of defining bamboo as grass

Bill should be opposed is because there is no rational reason why an Ordinance was issued