May 17: A banker-entrepreneur investment meet on the bamboo industry will be held in the city tomorrow to help entrepreneurs get aid from financial institutions.
The meet is being organised by the Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC). Participants will discuss the role of financial institutions in augmenting flow of funds in the bamboo sector.
The conclave will be held at Hotel Dynasty.
The project co-ordinator of CBTC, Kamesh Salam, said it is imperative that bamboo entrepreneurs, who have set up units or are looking forward to starting one, should know the various sources of finance. The State Bank of India will also attend the meet.
Salam said financial institutions would have to provide a fillip to the bamboo sector, which is known as “green gold”.
“It is no use providing help to the sector if the financial institutions do not help the entrepreneurs,” he said.
Discussions will be held on the prospects of revival of some of the closed plywood units, which used bamboo as a raw material.
There will be interactions between entrepreneurs and bankers.
“Presentations will also be given on the estimated market of bamboo and its industrial utilisation,” said Salam. A senior official from the Dhaka-head based South Asia Enterprise Development Facility will speak on aid provided to small manufacturing enterprises.
The CBTC is also working as the lead institution for the National Mission on Bamboo Technology and Trade Development in the Northeast.
The market survey for the mission was carried out by centre, which focused on bamboo as food (bamboo shoots) and bamboo as a wood substitute. The CBTC has also set up a cane and bamboo technology park in the city.
The park provides training and exposure to the entrepreneurs on the latest trends in the bamboo sector.
State-of-the-art machines, imported from various countries, are lying at the centre.
Bamboo splitting machine, four-side planing machine and hand splitter have been procured for the park.
The centre has also received requests from Nepali entrepreneurs to impart training on manufacture of bamboo products.
