Agartala, Sep 18 (PTI) Tripura Industries and Commerce Minister Santana Chakma Wednesday said that the state government has attached maximum importance to enhancing the production of bamboo, and introducing modern technology in bamboo craft.
The northeastern state represents 28 per cent of the country's bamboo stock and Tripura has 2,397 square Km of bamboo forests which is about 23 per cent geographical area of the state, officials said.
Speaking at an event organised by the ‘Tripura Bamboo Mission’ on the occasion of World Bamboo Day on Wednesday, Chakma said the demand for bamboo is growing day by day and the government has taken the initiative to enhance its production.
“We also want to introduce newer technology to make bamboo craft products as its demands are growing every day,” she said.
Bamboo is popularly known as green gold and poor man’s timber, and can generally adapt to different climatic conditions.
Bamboo is the most important non-timber forest produce used extensively by tribal and rural people of Tripura and plays an important role in employment generation and socio-economic uplift in the rural sector, Secretary of the department, Kiran Gittye said.
It is estimated that around 6.1 million man-days are generated per year by harvesting and utilisation of bamboo in different forms.
Twenty-one species of bamboo are found in Tripura and initiatives were taken towards high-density bamboo plantations to meet the present-day market demand.
Efforts are being taken to use technology in value addition activities to suit the National and International standards, officials said.
In Tripura, bamboo is utilised for rural housing, posts, walls, roof structure, roofing material, scaffolding, fencing and gates.Baskets, food grain containers, rain shields, headgear and many other products are also made from bamboo.
Handicraft items like toys, ‘morra’, winnowing trays, hand fans, mats, wall panels, screens, umbrella handles, fishing rods and agarbatti sticks are created from Bamboo.
Bamboo shoots are widely eaten by both tribals and Bengalis in Tripura.