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Bamboo pavalion set up at Hafta Kangjeibung as part of world bamboo workshop in Imphal.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Imphal, Feb. 4 (EMN): Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday inaugurated the 3rd World Bamboo Workshop in the presence of the representatives from the World Bamboo Organisation (WBO) and delegates from around 34 countries at the City Convention Centre in Imphal.
This is the third workshop being organised by WBO in association with Manipur state government in the series after the first one held at Mexico in 2017, second in Peru in 2018 to bring all the scientific, technical and traditional knowledge available around the world in bamboo at that particular place.
WBW Working committee chairman Dr. Sapam Ranjan and president Michel Abadie, WBO executive director Susanne Lucas, World bamboo ambassador Prof. Nirmala Chongtham, CEO Martin Motera of Dicma Trade, Mexico and Chief Secretary Dr. J Suresh Babu also attended in the dais of the opening function.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that the WBO for initiating a global movement to bring the people together for promoting the use of bamboo for food, fuel, fibre, building materials and a renewable resource with many applications.
Maintaining that the Bamboo Society of India must also open a Manipur chapter for bamboo mission in Manipur, he sought assistance of international business and trading concerns in the global marketing of all bamboo products from Manipur.
Pointing out that India has 15.69 million hectares of land under bamboo, the second largest after China, Singh said India's share in world bamboo trade of 1.5 billion dollars is insignificant.
The north-eastern region of India has only 28% of land under bamboo, while it has 66% of India’s bamboo production, he said.
Stating that bamboo has the potential of becoming the growth engine of Northeast as it is the biggest supplier of bamboo in India, Singh said that there are already two bamboo based factories in Tripura and Meghalaya.
Textiles, Commerce and Industry Minister Th Biswajit said a bamboo based bio-CNG plant is planned to come up in the state as per the present Bio Fuel Policy of India to mitigate climate change and ensure 100% bamboo utilization adding that felling, sale and transport of bamboo is no longer subject to permission as the government had amended the Indian Forest Act, 1927 to declare bamboo as a grass and not a tree.
Forest and Environment Minister Th Shyamkumar and others also spoke on the occasion.
Besides pavilions, stalls displaying bamboo products from various places including from abroad are set up at the venue.