BAMFEST 2006

CBTC Staff — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 13:58:19 +0000

Bamboo today contributes to the subsistence needs of over a billion people, and has played a significant role in human society since time immemorial. Traditional uses as varied as fuel, food, housing and shelter, tools, and music comprise but a part of the broad spectrum of bamboo use. At the same time, equally important are bamboo’s industrial uses and its potential role in mankind’s future. Bamboo for pulp and paper, construction and engineering materials, panel products, and an array of modern uses are becoming better known. To better realize these new uses and to benefit the communities where the resource base and the traditions of use are well rooted, a number of development issues must be addressed. Resource mobilization and management, technology and processing, policy, and international education and cooperation must be emphasized in developing a future for bamboo as the timber of the 21st century.

The North East of India is a region that is abundant in natural resources. It is also home to two-thirds of India’s total resources of Bamboo. Touted as the “poor man’s timber”, bamboo has today been acknowledged as the principal substitute for timber. The North-Eastern region of India has the greatest concentration of cane and bamboo in the country. The raw stock is valued at around Rs. 5,000 crores. With suitably feasible schemes of value additions of even just about two times, approximately Rs. 10,000 crores can be easily generated in the North East alone on an annual basis. Even for a moment, assuming that one is able to utilize only about 25 percent of the resource base, the North East can easily generate Rs. 2,500 crores a year.

The Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC), Guwahati in collaboration with the Government of Tripura will organize the third International “BAMFEST 2006’ on the bamboo heritage of North Eastern Region of India at Agartala, Tripura in the first half of November 2006. This festival will be complemented by a number of Technical Sessions on Bamboo Technology. A unique feature of this event is the recognition accorded by the World bamboo Organization (WBO) based in Boston, USA under its charter to the festival. WBO is the origin of the World Bamboo Congress and this event will be the forerunner to the next World Bamboo Congress to be held in Brazil in June, 2007. The NEHHDC, THHDC, IFAD, GTZ and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India will support the Festival. The Ministry of DONER and the North Eastern Council, Shillong will facilitate holding of the festival.

In order to facilitate development of bamboo based clusters in North Eastern Region, North Eastern Regional Bamboo Mission (NERBaM) under the aegis of North Eastern Council is the pivotal policy initiative which has resulted in the upgradation of the traditional bamboo craft of the region. The impact of NERBaM has been felt in the manufacture of value added bamboo products such as slivers, bamboo mat etc by the clusters. Also, NERBaM has led to the establishment of value added bamboo processing facilities and many such facilities are on the pipe line for establishment in the North Eastern Region to give a boost to the economy as well as gainfully employ a huge chunk of the rural population. Besides, the propagation of bamboo processing on an industrial scale, this policy initiative has also been able to consolidate the traditional knowledge of the artisans of North Eastern Region for manufacturing bamboo based handicraft items. Under the NERBaM initiative, artisans of this region have been able to develop skills for manufacturing exquisite handicraft items which have a market both within the country and abroad.

BAMFEST 2006 will bring together on a platform, a number of international experts in bamboo, who will focus their combined attention on this versatile grass by way of brainstorming, sharing and exchanging views. The Technical Seminars complementing the event will focus on the following themes:

Management of bamboo resources-plantation to replenish diminishing resources for supply of raw materials as well as research and development aspects;
Processing technologies-machinery and their adaptation to Indian needs;
Bamboo for economic development-employment opportunities, production management and design of bamboo products, and their marketing, and human resource development;
Bamboo housing technologies-for earthquake-prone areas, rural and hilly areas

The Technical Seminars will highlight the industrial and scientific aspects of bamboo, management of resources, introduction of newer technologies for economic development and cost-effective housing while the Bamboo Festival will bring to light the pivotal role that bamboo plays in the social life of the people of this region. This versatile grass occupies pride of place among the bountiful natural resources for daily use of the people of this region and is the main fabric of the cultural tapestry of the rural people of this region.

Together with the Festival, an Exhibition named BAM-EXPO will also be held at Agartala. The participating teams are crafts-people from the eight North-Eastern States, SFRI, RFRI, NID, IPIRTI, HPC, NERAMAC, INBAR, NSIC, THHDC, etc. There will also be participation from Machine manufacturers, Tissue Culture Units, Industrial and International Houses. The exhibitions will show-case the ethnic and cultural heritage of the North Eastern Region. A Bamboo Food Festival, Music Festival, Film Shows, Traditional Bamboo sports, Essay and Painting competitions will be held.

A number of international experts from India and abroad will be participating in the seminar, including representatives from UNIDO, WBO, INBAR, CBRC, etc. As a sequel to 3rd BAMFEST 2006, immediately after the festival, a 10 day International Handicraft Training cum Workshop will be conducted in Agartala for participants from Africa, Latin America and other Neighbouring Asian countries who will be exposed to different value added production processes and skill development at Bamboo and Cane Development Institute (BCDI) at Agartala.

BAMFEST is conceived to be an annual event with the venue shifting from year to year within and outside the North Eastern Region. The first such event was held in Guwahati in March 2003 along with BAMTECH 2003, an International Seminar on Bamboo Technology and its adaptation in the North Eastern Region of India. The second BAMFEST was held in Shillong and created waves in the minds of the people.

The principal theme of this year’s festival is “Bamboo Cluster Development and Market Access”. The other objectives of the festival are:

To generate bamboo based cluster models appropriate for the North Eastern Region ;

To discuss on issues related to market based approach and responses of the clusters and generate model clusters with focus on market and productivity;
Revival of traditional crafts of the region;
To highlight local customs and usage of bamboo;
To exhibit the capabilities and export potential of craftspeople from different states through exchange and sharing of experiences;
To forge closer linkages and networking amongst craftspeople from the different States through exchange and sharing of experience ;
To discuss common issues for adopting newer technologies in the field of craftsmanship;
To provide a brand-name and a common platform to the crafts groups from the North East;
To generate awareness about the cane and bamboo sector, which is largely ignored by the market;
To help project bamboo as the essential substitute for timber in the years to come.

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BAMFEST

North East Cane and Bamboo Development Council - BAMFEST

BAMFEST 2006