IMPHAL, Jan 31 - Manipur is planning to bring out a bamboo policy to promote bamboo cultivation and other conservation activities in the region by next month, Principal Secretary of Textiles, Commerce and Industries P Vaiphei said.
Informing that the draft bamboo policy of the State is at the final stage, Vaiphei said, �The policy will be presented before the State Cabinet for its approval after its finalization. We will try to incorporate new suggestions and ideas coming out of the forthcoming bamboo workshop.�
However, the senior official of the Manipur Government did not elaborate on the details of the draft bamboo policy.
Bamboo, the fastest growing and high-yielding renewable natural resource, continues to play a predominant role in the life of people of all sections and Manipur is home to more than 54 bamboo species. The North East alone contributes 68 per cent of India�s total bamboo production.
Kamesh Salam, former president of the World Bamboo Organisation, when contacted, said: �We need a policy support and ownership of bamboo as craft, industrial products or bamboo shoots (food), etc. Other States have dedicated bamboo development agencies or bamboo development boards to implement bamboo activities.� In North East India, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura have bamboo development boards.
Meanwhile, in a bid to spread the traditional use and application of bamboo, the third edition of the World Bamboo Workshop (WBW) will be held here from February 4 to 8. This is an event organised by the WBO, USA, annually to bring all scientific, technical and traditional knowledge available around the world in bamboo at a particular place. This is the third workshop in the series after the first which was held in Mexico in 2017. The second workshop was held in Peru in 2018. The five-day event here will have lectures, hands-on training, exhibitions, cultural shows and other programmes on bamboo. Around 100 participants from 34 countries are expected to join the workshop, according to World Bamboo Ambassador Dr Nirmala Chongtham, Professor in the Department of Botany, Panjab University, Chandigarh.
Two MoUs will also be signed between the State authorities and two international companies, she said. Besides, more than 70 stalls, including food stalls, will showcase bamboo-related items, including foodstuffs, during the event.
