In view of the enormous potential of bamboo group of plants in contributing to rejuvenate rural economy of the country, the government both at the Central and States level has been focusing on the tapping the unexplored opportunities in the sector.

Some of these initiatives are covered below:

i)   National Bamboo Mission:

Based on the report “National Mission on Bamboo Technology and Trade Development” published by the then Planning Commission in 2003, the Government of India (GOI) launched the National Bamboo Mission (NBM) in 2006. Multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional in its approach, major interventions planned under it were to focus on research and development, plantation on forest and non-forest lands and to ensure the supply of quality planting materials. The main weakness of the scheme had been the absence of a linkage between the bamboo farmers and the industry and a strong value addition component.

ii)   Restructured National

Bamboo Mission:  Restructured NBM was launched in 2018-19  as a component of  National Mission for Sustainable
Agriculture (NMSA) for implementation with the following objectives to:

> increase the area under bamboo plantation.

> improve post-harvest management.

> promote product development.

> promote skill development, capacity building, and  awareness generation. 

The mission has its focus on development of bamboo in the north-eastern region and some other states. The key features of the mission included  connecting farmers to markets and a direct subsidy of 50% given to farmers at Rs 1.00 lakh per ha.

iii)   Amendment in the Indian Forest Act, 2017

The amendment of the Indian Forest Act in 2017, removing bamboo from the definition of trees was a landmark event for promotion of the sector, following which   bamboo grown outside forests no longer needs felling and transit permissions.

iv)   State Governments -(Initiatives for Bamboo Sector Promotion)

> The Assam State Bamboo & Cane Policy, 2019.

> The Tripura State Bamboo Policy

> The Nagaland Bamboo Policy

> Kerala State Bamboo Mission

v)  National Mission of Bamboo Applications

Under the National Mission of Bamboo Applications (NMBA) of the Department of Science and Technology, the North East Centre for Technology Application & Reach (NECTAR) has been creating a bamboo-based ecosystem