A  State-level workshop organised by the Sparsh Foundation of JK Papers in collaboration with the Nabard decided to set up an Odisha Bamboo Resource Centre (OBRC) in Bhubaneswar to take up research, advocacy and project implementation initiatives in the bamboo sector of the State.

The deliberations in five intensive sessions focused on understanding the utility of the bamboo in our lives, dissected the opportunities for livelihood promotion and developing a bamboo startup culture and suggested strategies on how best to increase corporate funding into the sector.

CGM, Nabard A Chandrasekhar appreciated the effort of the organisers and announced to work with farmers producing companies, banks and State Government agencies to ensure collateral-free loans to farmers to cultivate bamboo in non-forest areas and make bamboo cultivation commercially viable.

Several notable bamboo experts like Dr BN Mohanty from IPIRTI, Bangalore, Pankaj Arora from Bamboo Initiative of Haryana, Harish Dash from the United States, Janmejay Mohanty of Auroville Bamboo Centre, Puducherry, Dr N Barathi of Growmore from Hosur, Tamilnadu, Prof Nirakar Bhol of OUAT Bhubaneswar, Dhruba

Charan Bal, DGM, Agri Finance, SBI, Bhubaneswar, Dr Ambika Nanda, Head CSR, Tata Steel, Biswajit Dwivedi, VP, JKPM, Basanta Kumar Dash Director, Handicraft and Cottage Industries, Government of Odisha, Prof Binay Jena, Director of NIFT Bhubaneswar, PK Mohapatra, DGM, NABARD, Odisha, Kapil Kaul, Head CSR, JK Group, Prof Srinivas Subbarao of Sri Sri University and Dr Ambika Nanda of Tata Steel argued strongly in favour of bamboo’s huge utility as a handy household product having large-scale industrial use as well.