Year Of Commencement: 2007
Bamboo is a useful group of plants, capable of providing ecological, economical and livelihood security to the people. From utilization point of view, there is no other plant as useful as bamboos to both rural and urban dwellers. This versatile group of plants find multifarious uses in day to day human life, usage crossing over 1500 ways; from the cradle to the coffin, as water containers, decorative items and as edible food item. Riverbanks and wasteland stabilization programmes also employ bamboo as it is one of the fastest growing species. It has the potential to substitute timber in finding use as construction materials and furniture items. Due to its great utility, bamboo has been more popularly known as "Green Gold". India is only second to China in richness of bamboo genetic resource. These two countries together hold more than half of the total bamboo resources distributed all over the world. It is reported that 128 species of bamboo under 23 genera are recorded in India (Seethalakshmi & Kumar 1998). The world market for bamboo is valued at US $ 10 billion.
Keeping in view of the vast untapped potential of bamboo, the Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India launched the National Bamboo Mission during the year 2006-07.
Objective of National Bamboo Mission
1. To promote the growth of the bamboo sector through an area based regionally differentiated strategy;
2. To increase the coverage of area under bamboo in potential areas, with suitable species to enhance yields;
3. To promote marketing of bamboo and bamboo based-handicrafts;
4. To establish convergence and synergy among stakeholders for the development of bamboo;
5. To generate employment opportunities for skilled and unskilled persons especially unemployed youths.