Emilo Khuvung
Kohima | September 18
Bamboo is an important resource within the larger socio-economic context of Nagaland as the state looks to harness the potential of the green gold and its benefits.
This is a clear indication of Nagaland’s strength in bamboo development and her opportunity to host the first World Bamboo Day programme here today. Vice President of India Dr. Md. Hamid Ansari was the chief dignitary.
Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency (NBDA) was established to undertake programmes and activities of bamboo to foster ecological security and economic growth through development and utilization of bamboo resources.
Use of bamboo not only reduce fixed capital costs but also permit small-holder farmers to expand or reduce the size/shift operations with limited investment. “Unlike steel and plastic, bamboo is eco-friendly, being not only biodegradable but also fastest growing plant on earth, a renewable resource with short gestation,” said the vice president at the World Bamboo Day event.
Cato Cane & Bamboo Enterprise from Khonoma village is one testimony. Its annual income crossed Rs. 2-3 lakhs through basket-making, the production cost of a single piece at Rs 30,000 to 60,000. The cost justified its value as the product can last for more than 40 years.
Cato said the demand of their products come mostly from the USA.
“For a rural married woman, a single basket settles their fate”, said Cato talking to this correspondent.
He did not obtain any formal training but proudly claimed that he is able to now train young people in the village to follow his footstep. One specialty of this product is that the leakage of water from this basket is out of question!
Cato Cane & Bamboo Enterprise is among the many participants of the craft bazar from the country and abroad.
The NBDA has taken in two prospects: to augment existing resources through development of scientifically managed plantations and regeneration and enterprise development where technology sourcing and dissemination, capacity-building and skill up-gradating, infrastructure-developments and marketing initiatives are the focus of enterprise development.
The World Bamboo Day here received from dignitaries, participants and observers who opined that given the continuous attention to this sector, Nagaland can be in no dearth of finding a worthwhile place in bamboo development in India and abroad.
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