The “Bamboo Forward Summit — From Ground to Growth” was successfully held today at Lyfe Hotel, Bhubaneswar, bringing together a diverse group of farmers, artisans, entrepreneurs, industry representatives, and policymakers.
The summit served as a critical platform to deliberate on strengthening the bamboo sector in Odisha, aiming to transition the state’s rich natural resources into a robust, enterprise-driven ecosystem.
The event commenced with an inaugural session featuring a keynote address by the Chief Guest, Bhaskar Jyoti Sarma, Principal Secretary of Forest, Environment, and Climate Change, Government of Odisha.
Sarma emphasised that bamboo has significant potential to emerge as a key driver of sustainable livelihoods and economic growth. He further noted that its development must be approached in an integrated and industry-oriented manner, with a strong emphasis on value addition, engineered products, and market linkages.
Technical sessions throughout the day covered a wide array of themes, including bamboo potential in Community Forest Rights areas, field experiences from Koraput, industrial applications such as biochar, and certification frameworks for quality assurance.
Discussions also focused on convergence with major government programmes such as OFSDP, CAMPA, OFDC, Mission Shakti, and livelihood missions to enable integrated development of the sector.
Further sessions shifted focus to market-oriented discussions, featuring trader interactions and a high-level round table. These sessions provided vital market insights and identified strategies for scaling bamboo-based enterprises. The deliberations underscored the importance of cluster development, design-led product diversification, improved market linkages, and better access to finance.
The summit was attended by several senior officials, including Dr K. Murugesan, PCCF & HOFF, Odisha; Swayam Mallik, Director (Operations) of OFDC Ltd.; Karthick V., SMD of the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA); and Sangeeta Agasty, Director of INBAR South East Asia Region.
The event concluded with a clear roadmap to transform Odisha’s bamboo sector, positioning the state as a leading hub for bamboo-based industries and sustainable economic growth.
