A man sells bamboo seeds in Tezpur

Guwahati, July 2: Kenya will get seeds of various bamboo species from the Northeast in lieu of tips on tea cultivation to Assam.

The seeds are being sourced from different places of the region and being sent to the African country through Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC), Guwahati, for a project of Kenya Forestry Research Institute (Kefri).

“They have requested us for 50 kg of bamboo seeds and the demand will be increased later. The climatic conditions of the two regions are conducive to bamboo plantations,” a senior CBTC official told The Telegraph.

The species in demand are Melocanna baccifera, Dendrocalamus asper and Bamboo bambusa.

“They wanted seeds from a reliable source and hence they sounded us,” the official added. Plant import permits for bamboo have been acquired and the orders have already been despatched to the CBTC. “The seeds will be sent in about a week’s time to Kenya,” he said.

“The developing countries are looking towards the Northeast which is next to China in terms of bamboo resources,” the official said.

The raw stock of bamboo in the Northeast is valued at Rs 5,000 crore and utilisation of even about 25 per cent can generate Rs 2,500 crore a year.

“Such orders will definitely help the Northeast to expand its market in the global bamboo sector,” the official said.

Even Bhutan had expressed interest in training. An Indo-Bhutan bamboo exhibition was held last year in Thimphu under the theme “Bamboo — an alternative to wood”.

A team from Nepal had also visited the region and sought advice on bamboo cultivation.

The CBTC, Guwahati, has been identified as the zonal Bamboo Technical Support Group (BTSG) for the northeastern states under National Bamboo Mission.

The other states covered under the mission include West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa. The support groups will make frequent visits to these states to provide guidance on policy formulation and on matters both organisational and technical.