Nagpur, 04 June (HS): Growing turnout for training in bamboo cultivation and

artistry and rising demand for bamboo saplings spells out higher returns with

less investment. The Bamboo Research and Training Centre (BRTC) at Chichpalli

in Mahashtra’s Chandrapur district gets farmers from across the state for

short-term training in bamboo cultivation and also training in bamboo art.

Besides the traditional artists in basketry, those using

bamboo in making decorative material, construction and interior designers are

attracted towards BRTC. The Centre itself has been constructed using bamboo and

is an attraction for the visitors.

According to Training Programme Coordinator Pravin

Shivankar over 12 training programmes are conducted every year. Recently the

BRTC imparted training to 100 women from families affected due to growing

mining operations in Chandrapur district, which is rich in coal and minerals.

Training to 200 farmers was also conducted.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT:

BRTC is the only centre in Maharashtra for promotion,

research and development of bamboo. The Centre plans its programme based on the

guidelines of the National Bamboo Mission and Maharashtra Bamboo Development

Board. The bamboo growers are also supported under SFURTI (Scheme for

Regeneration of Traditional Industries) of the Ministry of MSME.

The scheme has three primary interventions –

1. Soft interventions, including skill training,

capacity building, design development and market promotion.

2. Hard Intervention includes covers the creation of

Common Facility Centres (CFS), raw material banks, and advanced production

equipment.

3. Thematic Interventions focusses on brand building,

e-commerce integration, and packaging to boost sales.

BRTC has collected 92 species of bamboo and develops

saplings in its nursery depending upon the demand from bamboo growers.

Chandrapur district itself has four sales depots

including one at the railway station, where artistic decorative material and

basketry is made available for the prospective buyers and generating awareness.

In Maharashtra ‘Burad’ community was traditionally

engaged in basketry making. Their products were limited to those used in

routine life. With the skill development programmes the art is not restricted

to the Burad community. At the same time many alternatives to traditionally

used goods are available.

BAMBOO IN INDIA

India is second largest producers in the world, with

major growers in the north-eastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram

and Nagaland, and parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra in

Central India.

BRTC is the first research and development centre

developed in Chichpalli of Chandrapur district. It was established on December

4, 2014 with skill training leading to Diploma and Bachelor’s Technology

courses. Vocational training in handicraft, furniture making, basketry and

construction work is imparted under the courses conducted at the Centre. A

formal training to farmers in bamboo cultivation is also conducted by the

Centre.

Major bamboo producing regions in Maharashtra are

coastal Konkan and forest rich Vidarbha’s Amravati, Bhandara, Chandrapur

districts; and Marathwada’s Jalna district.

CROP AND BENEFITS

Full grown bamboo crop is ready for harvest in 3 to 5

years. It grows with minimal water and the plant growth is faster. The initial

investment relates to the land development, drip irrigation is about Rs 50,000

per acre. The annual yield is estimated to be 10 to 15 tonnes per acre. The

income from one acre is between 1.50 to 2.50 lakh rupees. The other benefits

are that the stem (culm) lives for 10 to 15 years and the rhizome for 40 to 50

years. With the development of inflorescence after 40 to 50 years, the plant

dies its natural death. The seeds dispersed again develops into the bamboo

forest.

Bamboo, which belongs to grass family (creeper), has

been recognised as tree due to its height and vertical growth. Only one specie

grown in Arunachal Pradesh is creeper and mainly used in furniture making and

basketry.

The Union Government has also launched Atal Bamboo

Samruddhi Yojana and included bamboo under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural

Employment Guarantee Scheme. The Maharashtra Government has drafted a separate

Bamboo Industry Police for promotion of bamboo.

With the systematic promotion, development and training

by the government bamboo cultivation and use in different sectors is a major

attraction among the farmers, artisans and designers.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Ajay Vasant Mardikar