Gadkari calls for greater utilization of Bamboo resources
By TIOL News Service
NEW DELHI, NOV 05, 2020: Mr Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs, has emphasized upon the need of more intensive use of bamboo resources of the country. Inaugurating a virtual Bamboo Exhibition today at Webinar, he said that bamboo has a variety of uses in various fields like buildings and interiors, handicrafts, agarbatti making, garments, bio-fuel resource, etc.
Mr Gadkari asked various sectors to utilize various modes and methods to bring down logistics costs including choosing more cost-efficient transit mode like water, rail or road. He informed that a 3 metre dredging of Brahmaputra River has made it possible to use waterways for transporting goods. Using river transport would come very handy in transportation cost reduction for Bamboo and Bamboo products originating from North East.
Mr Gadkari also asked Ministry of DONER to formulate a comprehensive Bamboo Policy as most of the Bamboo is produced in North East. The Minister recalled how he took up the matter of doing away with the need of permission to cut bamboos with the Prime Minister who directed the Forest Authorities to follow suit as bamboo fall in the category of grass with the character of regeneration.
Calling for production of high yielding bamboo varieties, he said, for industrial use bamboo yield should be 200 tonnes per acre against about 40 tonnes per acre in case of some varieties. The greater yield and wider bamboo usage will open up more employment generation especially in North East India.
Mr Gadkari advised that Bamboo sticks may be reduced to bamboo bales so that moisture is removed therefore making transportation easier and further cheaper as also increasing its calorific value. He suggested IITs may be roped in to undertake a pilot project in this regard.
He also suggested making available more incentives to Bamboo production, processing and handling and said this will go a long way in developing the bamboo based industry.
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