Bamboo as “Green Gold” for North East India

Bamboo has been integral to the socio-economic and cultural life in the Northeast. Often called the ‘Green Gold’ of the Northeast, it is a key driver of livelihoods, crafts, housing, and industrial potential in the region. The Northeast accounts for more than two-thirds of India’s bamboo resources, an advantage that can be translated into establishment of large scale enterprises and global market integration.

The bamboo industry is not only enhancing rural livelihoods, but promoting the growth of women by improving their incomes, reducing migration, and fostering gender equality.

The National Bamboo Mission (NBM)

Recognising the potential of bamboo, The Restructured National Bamboo Mission (NBM), approved in 2018, focuses on boosting cultivation of quality and appropriate species of bamboo for supply to our industry so as to make it competitive in domestic and global markets. The centrally-sponsored scheme aims to increase the area under bamboo plantation, improve post-harvest management and promote product development, skill development, capacity building and awareness. The bamboo industry is worth Rs. 28,005 crores in India and by utilising its potential, we can reduce dependency on import of bamboo and bamboo products. 

NBM is set to transform bamboo into a key pillar of India’s green economy and Atmanirbhar Bharat Vision. 

Action Recommendations 

Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in its recent report on Facilitating Ease of Doing Business in the Bamboo Sector in Northeast India: Removal of Compliance Burdens made certain recommendations for the next phase of bamboo development in the area. These include: 

Pillar 1: Compliance and Governance

Establishing a Bamboo Development Border Authority as a Structural Body Headquartered in Northeast India under the Ministry of Agriculture or under MoDoNER for stronger regional alignment. It also recommends publishing an annual ‘Bamboo Transit and Exemption Compendium’ for clarity to farmers, traders, and enforcement officials, along with creating a one-stop compliance helpdesk for MSMEs supported by NABARD and SIDBI.

Pillar 2: Standards & Market Development

It also recommends issuing bamboo-specific food safety guidelines under FSSAI and harmonizing standards with bamboo shoots and processed food products. Branding, GI Tagging and R&D as a mandate of the ‘Board/Authority’ can help position India as a global hub for sustainable bamboo products. Developing and notifying carbon credit methodologies for bamboo plantations can be integral for India’s voluntary and compliance carbon markets. 

Pillar 3: Skills and Innovation

Establishing a Bamboo Sector Skill Development Council with focus on bamboo construction, engineered products, furniture, and handicraft. This will help formalize training, certification, and career pathways while aligning bamboo skills with India’s national skilling framework. 

Pillar 4: Financing & Sustainability

It recommends a blended financing architecture for the bamboo sector, combining initial government corpus funds with CSR and philanthropic capital for skilling and livelihoods and international climate and resilience funds.

Way Forward

Innovations such as bamboo composite filaments, bioenergy from bamboo processing waste, and bamboo-based building composites such as mat boards and sheets have transformed its use as a raw material in the paper and construction industry. It is imperative that technological advancements and innovations be integrated in bamboo processing, manufacturing, and treatment to expand India’s bamboo product portfolio in global markets. 

India, like its neighbours, is also working towards elevating bamboo to a national industrial priority. Policy reforms and simplifying compliances can help address issues such as absence of standardization, supply chain bottlenecks, low market awareness, high production costs, and inadequate infrastructure.

To conclude, bamboo grown in India has huge potential as both a sustainable and wealth generating resource. By establishing a supportive environment by the government, private players and other stakeholders, bamboo can truly become Green Gold of Northeast and rest of India.