Guwahati, April 21: Nepal has expressed interest in importing bamboo-based products such as mats, corrugated sheets and matboards for undertaking community-based housing projects in that country.
This was disclosed by representatives of various NGOs of Nepal who had participated in a three-day training programme on Industrial Processing of Bamboo and its Applications in Industries and Innovative Housing. The programme, which concluded on Wednesday at the State Forest Services College at Byrnihat, was jointly organised by the Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC) here and the Indian Plywood Industries and Research Institute, Bangalore.
Kamesh Salam, director of the CBTC, said the NGOs also wanted to manufacture bamboo-based products by taking technical assistance from the centre. The NGOs from Nepal included the Habitat for Humanity International, the Samjhauta and the Sahara.
The Northeast is home to about two-thirds of the bamboo resources of the country and also tops the list in terms of diversity of species available. Salam said mass-scale consumption of bamboo for the housing sector would boost the economy of the northeastern region.
?We want to create skilled manpower in the domain of bamboo applications for housing which will generate employment,? Salam said.
Several crucial issues relating to creation of supply source for bamboo-based industries were discussed by representatives from financial institutions, bamboo-based industries and NGOs during the training programme.
M.S. Haque, assistant general manager of Nabard, said the bank was ready to finance good enterprises in the rural sector with the capacity to maintain consistent supply of raw materials such as bamboo slivers, bamboo mats (for consumption in industries for manufacture of products such as bamboo mat plyboards), bamboo mat corrugated sheets and others.
During the training, participants were exposed to theory classes and machines and were taken on field trips to have a glimpse of the bamboo-based units in Guwahati.
Manufacturing bamboo blinds, bamboo floorboards and bamboo housing erected by the CBTC.
S.K. Nath, joint director of the Bangalore-based Indian Plywood Industries and Research Institute, promised full support to the development of the bamboo sector in the northeastern region in terms of making available technology and research inputs.
P.P. Srivastava, member of the North Eastern Council (NEC), said entrepreneurship must prevail at the end of the day. He said one should not start an industry just for the sake of getting subsidy and appealed to the trainees to desist from such misadventure.
S.K. Mitra, principal of the State Forest Services College, Byrnihat, said the training programme had set a number of precedents. He sought more collaboration between the forest officials and experts in the bamboo sector.
