Government to promote bamboo products

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has decided to formulate a policy for bamboo cultivation and promote the sale of handicraft items prepared from it. A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here. A Bamboo Drawing and Product Development Centre will be set up at Ghatikia near the City. Four common facility centres (CFCs) have been sanctioned to be set up in Mayurbhanj, Rayagada, Khurda and Cuttack districts.   It was decided that bamboo-based industries will be given incentives. The incentives will be incorporated in the industrial policy of the State Government. Self-help groups (SHGs) will be involved in Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts to create a market for bamboo and bamboo products. The Chief Minister also reviewed the activities of the Bamboo Mission at the meeting. Seven per cent of bamboo cultivated in the country is from Orissa. The State is third in bamboo production in the country leaving aside the North-Eastern states. Official sources said around 50,000 families depend on bamboo for their livelihood, majority of whom are economically-backward. Naveen directed the Mission to launch programmes keeping an eye on their livelihood. It was decided that those varieties of bamboo will be planted which the workers find easy to handle in the handicraft sector. So far, 134 bamboo nurseries have been set up in the State. It was decided that five more will be set up during the year.  A target has been fixed to plant bamboo in 10,000 hectare forest land and 5,000 hectare private land. Besides, it was decided that training will be imparted to 5,000 workers in handicrafts sector. Official sources said 60 lakh mandays were created through different activities of the Bamboo Mission.Minister for Environment and Forests Debi Prasad Mishra, Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik and senior officials of the Forest Department and the Mission were present.