Jamshedpur, Sept. 26: The state forest and environment ministry has set the ball rolling to set up a bamboo unit at Chakulia in East Singhbhum district.

The unit will be the first of its kind in the state.

Forest minister Hari Narayan Rai told The Telegraph today that five acres have been identified at Manasmuria village under Chakulia forest range to set up the bamboo unit.

Rai was in the city today to attend a joint forest management development programme.

According to Rai, the bamboo unit will be set up in collaboration with Bangalore-based Indian Plywood Research and Training Institute (IPRTI).

A memorandum of understanding between state forest ministry and the Bangalore-based institute will be signed at a later date this month, Rai added.

Elaborating on the project, forest officials of Dhalbhum range revealed that according to the plans, the ministry will procure for the unit four different kinds of machines for cutting, knot removing, splitting and slicing bamboo trees.

A warehouse will also be constructed to store the bamboo products before they are dispatched to different places.

At present, the bamboo trees are transported to different parts of the country in their original forms, as the state does not have a bamboo unit with facilities of splitting and slicing, which is affecting the revenue earning of the state forest department, the officials pointed out.

Moreover, the bamboo growers will benefit, as they can avoid the interference of middlemen for transporting bamboo trees to other parts of the country.

?Once the bamboo unit starts functioning, the packaging factories will also benefit. Their dependence on wood and timber required for packaging purpose can be reduced to a large extent,? explained Satyajit Singh, divisional forest officer, Dhalbhum.

Singh said the unit would be equipped for slicing over 100 bamboo everyday.

Significantly, Chakulia, Dhalbhumgarh, Ghatshila and Baharagora regions of East Singhbhum are the areas where bamboo cultivation is carried out on a large-scale.

These places have a climate conducive to bamboo plantation.

The bamboo products are being used for manufacturing a wide range of handicraft and decoration items. In addition, they are also used for making tables, chairs and other furniture.

Forest officials said the bamboo unit would start functioning at the end of this year.

The local villagers, who are associated with joint forest management committees, will be provided employment in the bamboo unit.

The local artisans will get the bamboo products at a cheaper rate, the officials added.