Maharashtra Set to Sign MoU with Tripura for Bamboo Industry Development
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Synopsis
The Maharashtra government is preparing to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Tripura to enhance the bamboo industry and promote bamboo-based entrepreneurial ventures, as stated by Minister Pankaja Munde during her visit to Tripura.
Key Takeaways
- Maharashtra plans to sign a MoU with Tripura.
- Focus on boosting the bamboo industry.
- Explore bamboo's potential in construction and rural employment.
- Tripura's Bamboo Park promotes bamboo-based industries.
- Over 19 species of bamboo are found in Tripura.
Agartala, Feb 18 (NationPress) The government of Maharashtra is poised to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tripura aimed at enhancing the bamboo industry and fostering bamboo-based entrepreneurial activities within the region, as stated by the visiting Maharashtra Environment and Climate Change Minister Pankaja Munde on Tuesday.
Minister Munde, who is on a two-day visit to Tripura, toured the Bamboo and Cane Development Institute along with other significant locations. During her visit, she was familiarized with various species of bamboo at BCDI.
In a conversation with the press, Munde remarked that after gaining insights into various factors linked to bamboo cultivation—such as growth methods, industrial applications, and the required climatic conditions—the Maharashtra government is keen to finalize an MoU with the Tripura government to advance the Bamboo Mission in Maharashtra.
Munde highlighted that with appropriate adjustments, bamboo can be effectively utilized in construction projects, presenting significant potential for generating employment in rural areas. She noted that through bamboo, a variety of value-added products, including jewelry, can be crafted, and it can also serve as a substitute for firewood, emphasizing that “to protect the environment, bamboo can play a pivotal role.”
Bamboo represents a critical and abundant natural resource in Tripura, where around 19 species of bamboo are prevalent. The state is home to tropical moist deciduous forests along with patches of evergreen forests and a considerable area dedicated to bamboo brakes. The bamboo-bearing area in Tripura's forests spans 3,246 square km.
Tripura, along with neighboring Mizoram and other northeastern states, is cultivating various bamboo species extensively, with approximately 28 percent of India's bamboo forests located in northeastern India.
In 2009, the Tripura government established India’s first Bamboo Park at Bodhjungnagar industrial growth center in western Tripura, investing Rs 30 crore for the development over 135 acres of land to promote bamboo-based industries.
According to officials from the Tripura Industrial Development Corporation (TIDC), “Numerous entrepreneurs have set up factories, including a notable industry producing bamboo flooring tiles (Bamboowood), laminated bamboo boards, bamboo furniture, and attractive home design materials.” A multitude of eco-friendly bamboo products have traditionally been crafted in Tripura and other northeastern regions.
The Bamboo Park is expected to provide not only the necessary infrastructure for industries but also advanced shared facilities, including a bamboo raw material depot, splitting and slivering units, treatment and processing centers, drying chambers, testing laboratories, logistics hubs, warehouses, and machinery maintenance facilities.
