Cane, bamboo set for major leap in NE

GUWAHATI, April 15: Bamboo and cane are integrated to the culture and economics of Northeast, and with two-thirds of the 80.4 million tonne of the growing stock in this region, they have been recognised as an eco-friendly industrial material of the future, reports PTI. Experts have pointed out that cane and bamboo are easy to work with, requiring basic tools and simple machines giving craftspersons and entrepreneurs exceptional opportunities to realise incremental employment and income with little capital and investment in infrastructure. "The development of the sector would promote eco-friendly products and processes. It would have environmentally beneficial impacts, through substitution and conservation of timber resources and enhancement of green cover," says MP Ranjan of National Institute of Design's Faculty of Industrial Design. The cultural dimension is extremely important since cane and bamboo are an integral part of the traditional way of life of many people, and promotion of this sector would offer them an opportunity to utilise their skills to economic advantage, he adds. The Centre plans to upscale the sector as it will open the doors for augmentation of economic opportunity, income and employment, particularly in the relatively underdeveloped Northeast where bamboo can be an important vehicle for sustainable development, says an official report. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) has set up a National Bamboo Committee, a multi-disciplinary task force, to review the state of the sector and advice while the Ministry of Textiles (MOT) has considerably enhanced outlays for the artisan and craft segment. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), under the Fibre and Handicrafts programme of its Country Cooperation Framework, is supporting the efforts of the Ministry of Textiles through an artisan and craft oriented sub-programme. The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) is also supporting the national bamboo programme with its considerable experience in sectoral management, the development and dissemination of industrial applications and the promotion of small-scale economic activity. It was under this programme that the Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC) was set up here with UNDP and UNIDO's support and infrastructural help from the Northeast Development Financial Institution (NEDFi). The CBTC is supporting and facilitating the establishment of a national cane and bamboo network for the long-term development of the sector with a multi-disciplinary approach and an integrated perspective, says CBTC's project coordinator Kanesh Salam. "The CBTC will provide help in application of technologies for rural transformation, utilising information technology to promote sustainable development, disseminating technological skills through networking and providing support to emerging technologies," he says. Remoteness, communication bottlenecks, technological stagnation and the overall low level of economic activity are the key challenges in the cane and bamboo sector in Northeast. "The CBTC is, therefore, striving to enhance the access of stakeholders to advanced information, technology and know-how and establishment of a technological and resource network that facilitate technological upgradation, provide linkages with the market, financial and credit agencies, encourage association and cooperation and offer a platform for research and support," he says. NEDFi as a key logistic partner will not only support its activities but also enable it to become a sectoral repository and platform for knowledge, besides acting as an efficient catalyst, says NEDFi chairman Jayanta Madhab.