Maharashtra Cabinet Approves Bamboo Policy 2025
The policy was approved during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Mumbai:The Maharashtra Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Bamboo Policy 2025, which aims to encourage investment in the bamboo sector and create employment opportunities. According to the state government, the policy targets investments of Rs 50,000 crore and the potential creation of over five lakh jobs. The policy was approved during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
An official from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said the policy will be aligned with the National Bamboo Mission and the Maharashtra Mission 2023. It outlines plans to promote bamboo as a resource for industrial use, rural employment, and environmental sustainability. The state also aims to strengthen its role in bamboo production at both the national and international levels.
The policy outlines the promotion of Bamboo Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), contract farming, and increased use of bamboo in the energy, industrial, and domestic sectors.
“To support these initiatives, the state plans to establish anchor units and Common Facility Centres (CFCs) across Maharashtra. At least 15 bamboo clusters will also be developed, along with Micro Common Facility Centres (MCFCs) to support bamboo artisans in remote areas. Agricultural universities will collaborate on bamboo-related research and development, while also organizing training and awareness programs for farmers. The state may also sign Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with international organizations as needed,” the official said.
According to the official, Bamboo processing industries will be given interest subsidies, power subsidies, and concessions in stamp duty and electricity charges. “A venture capital fund of Rs 300 crore has been approved to support innovation-based startups and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the bamboo sector. With the help of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Maharashtra is implementing a Bamboo Development Project for which a preliminary report worth Rs 4,271 crore has been submitted to the central government,” he added.
According to the policy document, the global bamboo trade is projected to reach USD 88.43 billion by 2030. Currently, India accounts for just 2.3 per cent of global bamboo exports. Domestically, the bamboo industry is valued at Rs 28,000 crore, with bamboo forests covering around 4 per cent of the country’s total forest area.
Officials said that in Maharashtra, bamboo cultivation covers 1.35 lakh hectares, making it the third-largest bamboo-growing state in India. In the year 2022, Maharashtra produced 9.47 lakh tonnes of bamboo. At present, Amravati, Sindhudurg, and Bhandara districts are the main bamboo production centers in the state.
Pasha Patel, Chairman of the State Agricultural Price Commission and Executive Chairman of the Chief Minister’s Environmentally Balanced Development Task Force, has been advocating for bamboo cultivation as a solution to climate change challenges for many years. In September, an International Bamboo Conference was held under Mr Patel’s initiative, where he reiterated the urgent need to implement a bamboo industrial policy in the state.