Tripura to augment bamboo cultivation

Agartala: Tripura government has taken initiative to augment the cultivation of bamboos as different industrial houses are keen to set up bamboo based industries in the state, officials said today.
When only one metric tonne of bamboo are grown in one hectare of land in the state, the national average is 2 MT per hectare and in China it is 5 MT per hectare, officials said adding the state has now taken initiative to augment the cultivation by adopting scientific methods and technology from the government of India.
Tripura Forest Minister Jitendra Chowdhury said, when the ‘Bamboo Mission’ came into being in the state in 2007 there were investment of only Rs 28 crore per annum which rose to Rs 116 crore this year.
Chowdhury said, 70 per cent of the incense sticks of the country are produced in the state, but production started reducing as the Central government has reduced the import duty from 30% to 10 %. (PTI)