National Mission on Bamboo Applications

The National Mission on Bamboo Applications (NMBA) is being implemented by the Government through the Department of Science and Technology.

A sum of Rs. 180 crore has been allocated for NMBA in the XI Five Year Plan. The scheme provides support in the form of Technology Development Assistance for research-oriented projects, commercially-viable bamboo processing projects and for skill development.

There is no State-specific and Institution-specific fund allocation and release of funds under the said scheme.

Over 200 industrial/commercial units have been set up by entrepreneurs since the inception of the programme.

(i) Prior to the Mission’s interventions, bamboo was largely being used in the paper industry and for handicrafts. With the Mission’s intervention and development of new technologies, the value-addition in the bamboo sector has increased from 10 percent to as high as 70 percent.

(ii) Technologies developed by the Mission cover a wide spectrum, ranging from rural applications to the high-technology sector, and they have significantly benefited the under-privileged sections of the society and the comparatively backward states in the country. A patent has been filed along with the Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru for bamboo-based thermoplastics using polypropylene. NMBA is experimenting with bamboo oil for bio-fertilizer and pharmacological applications.

(iii) Large number of bamboo structures (housing, schools, sanitation and medical centres and other public structures) have been erected all over the country, including in Tsunami affected Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Leh, Kargil, Islamic University for Science and Technology, Awantipore (Jammu and Kashmir), Chhatisgarh (under Rajiv Gandhi Shiksha Mission), Arunachal Pradesh and various disaster prone, remote and difficult areas.

(iv) With the induction of the new technologies, plywood units lying closed since 1997 have been revitalized and non-performing assets are now being utilized for manufacture of bamboo boards. Bamboo- based composite and wood substitute units have been promoted in the Public-Private-Partnership mode.

(v) Estimated income generation is more than Rs. 400 crores. Estimated additional employment generation per year is approximately 25.2 million man days. With a total expenditure of Rs. 115 crore, Private investment of about Rs. 400 crores has been generated.

This was stated by Shri Prithviraj Chavan, the Minister of State (I/C) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences in the Lok Sabha today.

Source: Press Information Bureau
Date: May 05, 2010