<p>Mumbai: In a transformational initiative, projects to the tune of a whopping Rs 4,000 crore for bamboo-based industries will be inked in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/maharashtra">Maharashtra</a>. </p><p>Veteran politician Pasha Patel, who is Chairman, State Agriculture Price Commission and Executive Chairman, Chief Minister’s Task Force on Environment and Sustainability, is spearheading the campaign to grow bamboo trees. </p><p>"A Rs 4,000 crore project for bamboo-based industries will be implemented over the next seven years with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). MoUs with farmers and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) will be signed during a conference in Mumbai on September 18-19,” said Praveen Pardeshi, CEO of Maharashtra Institute of Transformation (MITRA) and Chief Economic Advisor to Chief Minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/devendra-fadnavis">Devendra Fadnavis</a>.</p>.PMI Electro Mobility rolls out first batch of electric buses in Mumbai .<p>September 18 is observed as International Bamboo Day. </p><p>"Under the biomass policy for energy production, there is a huge demand for bamboo. Instead of supplying raw bamboo, it needs to be processed into torrefied and pellet forms,” said Pardeshi. </p><p>Similar to the SMART project, the ADB will fund a Rs 4,000 crore, seven-year bamboo project. "This includes promoting bamboo cultivation, research, developing new bamboo varieties, and providing subsidies and incentives for bamboo-based industries,” Pardeshi said. </p><p>"In the next five to ten years, bamboo cultivation will become a key factor. The question of who will buy bamboo after cultivation will now be resolved through this initiative."</p><p>He expressed regret that the Rs 7 lakh per hectare subsidy provided under the Employment Guarantee Scheme is not reaching farmers due to the indifference of some government departments.</p><p>"Due to the shortage of agricultural labour and losses caused by climate change, farming has become unaffordable. Bamboo can be used to produce energy, ethanol, methanol, and various products, creating a new economy,” he said. </p><p>Pardeshi urged FPOs to contract with farmers having over 100 acres to achieve bamboo cultivation targets and assured that the government and industries are committed to guaranteeing buyback.</p><p>Dr. Hemant Vasekar, CEO of the SMART project, stated that necessary support for bamboo cultivation and processing would be provided through the existing network of FPOs.</p>
<p>Mumbai: In a transformational initiative, projects to the tune of a whopping Rs 4,000 crore for bamboo-based industries will be inked in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/maharashtra">Maharashtra</a>. </p><p>Veteran politician Pasha Patel, who is Chairman, State Agriculture Price Commission and Executive Chairman, Chief Minister’s Task Force on Environment and Sustainability, is spearheading the campaign to grow bamboo trees. </p><p>"A Rs 4,000 crore project for bamboo-based industries will be implemented over the next seven years with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). MoUs with farmers and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) will be signed during a conference in Mumbai on September 18-19,” said Praveen Pardeshi, CEO of Maharashtra Institute of Transformation (MITRA) and Chief Economic Advisor to Chief Minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/devendra-fadnavis">Devendra Fadnavis</a>.</p>.PMI Electro Mobility rolls out first batch of electric buses in Mumbai .<p>September 18 is observed as International Bamboo Day. </p><p>"Under the biomass policy for energy production, there is a huge demand for bamboo. Instead of supplying raw bamboo, it needs to be processed into torrefied and pellet forms,” said Pardeshi. </p><p>Similar to the SMART project, the ADB will fund a Rs 4,000 crore, seven-year bamboo project. "This includes promoting bamboo cultivation, research, developing new bamboo varieties, and providing subsidies and incentives for bamboo-based industries,” Pardeshi said. </p><p>"In the next five to ten years, bamboo cultivation will become a key factor. The question of who will buy bamboo after cultivation will now be resolved through this initiative."</p><p>He expressed regret that the Rs 7 lakh per hectare subsidy provided under the Employment Guarantee Scheme is not reaching farmers due to the indifference of some government departments.</p><p>"Due to the shortage of agricultural labour and losses caused by climate change, farming has become unaffordable. Bamboo can be used to produce energy, ethanol, methanol, and various products, creating a new economy,” he said. </p><p>Pardeshi urged FPOs to contract with farmers having over 100 acres to achieve bamboo cultivation targets and assured that the government and industries are committed to guaranteeing buyback.</p><p>Dr. Hemant Vasekar, CEO of the SMART project, stated that necessary support for bamboo cultivation and processing would be provided through the existing network of FPOs.</p>