Bamboo cultivation to boost economy

Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas moots cultivation of Bamboo in backward and tribal regions of Krishna district to provide employment opportunity to all farm hands and to prevent migration. Speaking to media persons at an event held on Friday, the MP said that bamboo is a renewable resource and can be harvested in two to five years. He said Bamboo has more demand and it can be used for making furniture and building houses.

“By introducing bamboo cultivation, the rural economy would be improved once villagers trained in making bamboo based products. In foreign countries even airports also built using bamboos,” he added. He continued, “Bamboo would absorb green house gases like carbon dioxide and release 35 per cent more oxygen and it has amaging growth rate.”

Centre for Indian bamboo resource technology director Sanjeev Karpe concurred, “Bamboo can be cultivated in all weather conditions and there are 136 species of Bamboos. A study would be conducted to identify the suitable species of bamboo to be cultivated in Krishna district.”

Senior manager of Tata Trust Sabarinadhan who was also a part of the panel said that as part of micro planning taken up in villages of Vijayawada parliamentary constituency, they are searching for alternative livelihood projects to improve rural economy.

Divisional forest officer of social forestry A Ashok Kumar added that bamboo cultivation would help to increase forest cover in the district. He said it would help to provide employment opportunity to rural poor. Agricultural technology management agency would provide training to farmers for bamboo cultivation.