National Workshop of Bamboo Sector Development and Bamboo Exhibition Started in New Delhi

Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri. Narendra Singh Tomar will inaugurate the National Workshop on Bamboo Sector Development in New Delhi on 10th March 2023 at PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  A two-day Bamboo Exhibition will start on 9th March 2023 in which various innovative, modern and traditional utilities of bamboo will be displayed. A large number of entrepreneurs and artisans are going to array in the exhibition to mesmerize the people about the multi faceted roles that bamboo can serve to achieve an eco-friendly lifestyle. The event is being organized with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Invest India and Kerala State Bamboo Mission.

The National Workshop on Bamboo will be also graced by Ministers of State for Agriculture, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje and Shri Kailash Choudhary, Secretary (Agriculture & Farmers Welfare), Shri Manoj Ahuja, and senior officers of the Government of India.  The workshop aims to pave the way for the growth of India's bamboo sector by identifying areas for improvement and exploring expert suggestions to transform the industry for sustainable development and economic growth.

The event is being supported by the Ministry of Agriculture as the continuation of efforts to sketch a bamboo economy for benefiting millions of people across the country including farmers, traditional artisans, craft skilled youth, designers, entrepreneurs and investors. In the past few years, the Ministry has organized a series of National Consultations and webinars to create a conscience environment for the cooperation of various stakeholders of this sector. This effort of the Ministry is in conjunction with the historic amendment of the Indian Forest Act during the year 2017 which has significant implications for the management and commercial use of bamboo, which is an important forest product in India. Under the previous version of the Indian Forest Act, bamboo was considered a tree, and its cultivation and harvesting were subject to strict regulations.

The 2017 amendment reclassified bamboo as a non-timber forest product (NTFP), which means that it is no longer subject to the same restrictions as other timber products. It provided the opportunity to promote the cultivation and commercial use of bamboo by encouraging farmers, entrepreneurs, and local communities to grow bamboo and use it for various purposes, including construction, handicrafts and bamboo-based industries.

Subsequent to the forest act amendment, the National Bamboo Mission (NBM) has been restructured during 2018 with the aim of expanding its scope and increasing its impact by adopting a holistic value chain development strategy. The State Bamboo Missions have been managed to create the awareness and a business environment during the past 5 years of implementation even though the Covid -19 pandemic has affected the pace of the programme.

Now, the National Bamboo Mission is revitalizing the course of the bamboo sector development by bring the stakeholders to a platform of conscience for the concerted voyage to success. The State Bamboo Missions, farmers, artisans, entrepreneurs and the bamboo business communities are curious to showcase the potential of bamboo to become a flagship for the eco-friendly development model.

The two-day Bamboo Exhibition will feature products from various States, showcasing products across various industries, including but not limited to lifestyle products, construction materials, furniture, innovative & industrial products, agarbattis etc. The entry for the exhibition is free and open to the public. This would be a great opportunity for the large public especially for the students, home décor & furniture merchants, architects, designers and those who are seeking alternative materials for the conventional construction & lifestyle products.