Guwahati: As the national demand for bamboo grew steadily, driven by bio-ethanol blending targets, traditional bamboo farmers in Bhutan-bordering Baksa district received a three-day training to boost their scientific farming skills across the bamboo value chain.The Farmers’ Training Programme on Enhancing Bamboo Farming and Production covered nursery management, quality planting material (QPM), harvesting cycles, post-harvest handling, value addition, financial linkages and carbon markets. The event organised by CIFOR–ICRAF in collaboration with the Assam State Bamboo Mission (ASBM) concluded at Subankhata in Baksa district on Saturday.Assam’s bamboo wealth, long embedded in culture and rural livelihoods, is being repositioned as a strategic resource for the state’s emerging bioeconomy.Recent policy momentum, including the bamboo development initiative launched by NEC-DoNER ministry’s in Guwahati, and rising biomass requirements from industries such as Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited (ABEPL), have renewed focus on structured bamboo cultivation outside forests. Special emphasis was placed on Bamboo Outside Forest (BOF) models, which enable farmers to cultivate bamboo on private land with fewer regulatory constraints.Dhiren Kalita, executive director of the Cluster Based Business Organisation (CBBO), Assam Agricultural University, said bamboo farming aligned with scientific management and value addition could significantly enhance farm incomes while supporting climate-resilient agriculture.Arup Jyoti Kalita from CIFOR–ICRAF said the training is part of a broader effort to ensure local communities benefit from the state’s growing bamboo-driven industrial ecosystem. “What is needed is farmer preparedness — scientific cultivation, quality assurance, and market literacy. This programme is designed precisely to address that gap,” he said.Utpal Sarma, principal of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Baksa, highlighted the region’s agro-climatic suitability for bamboo-based agroforestry. “Baksa district has ideal soil and climatic conditions for bamboo cultivation. With scientific practices, proper spacing, and timely harvesting, bamboo can become a reliable and sustainable income source for farmers, especially when linked to organised markets and industry demand,” he said.Pranab Kr Nath, a representative from Assam Bio Ethanol Pvt Ltd (ABEPL), Numaligarh, shared insights into the growing biomass demand for ethanol production, stressing consistent quality, sustainable harvesting cycles, and assured supply chains.The national demand is also being driven by green construction materials, packaging alternatives, and carbon-neutral products.Participants included bamboo farmers, members of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), women farmer groups, and local collectives from Baksa district.
