Hoshangabad : The district collector and officials of forest department are asked to chart out a pilot project for Bamboo plantation as Hoshanagabd district is situated on banks of Narmada and conducive for Bamboo plantation. Making a point for popularising bamboo plantation, the CF of APSC Ajay Bhattacharya said in a workshop here that farmers should be encouraged to take up Bamboo plantation. He said that bamboo plantation would help in filtering chemical wastage from going into Narmada.
Bhattacharya said that plantation work could be done through Mnrega also. The plantation can also be taken up alongside highways and roads. He asked the officials to provide financial help to the farmers who want to grow bamboo. He said that laudable work is being done in Seedhi district where five thousand women are engaged in incense stick manufacturing and earning upto Rs 5 thousand. He said that presently 80% of incense sticks are being imported from Vietnam and this situation can be changed if we all gear up and decide to produce the item here. Bhattacharya said that a bamboo police is on anvil in the Neeti Ayog. He informed that India is competing with China in global market. Bhattacharya said that a bamboo sapling grows by 2 inches in 24 hours. Divisional commissioner VK Batham said that bamboo production would be encouraged. He suggested making bamboo products tax free.
