Bamboo is the most important renewable non-wood forest resource of Tripura. Annual sustainable yield being 142 .60 million,productivity 0.73 MT per ha per annum which is higher than national average i.e 0.52 MT per ha per annum. Only 2% of the yield is value added through the manufacture of handicrafts & incense stick making, rest mostly used in housing, fencing and supplied to paper mill in Assam etc.

Considering huge bamboo resource base of the state, besides Rubber the Corporation has identified Bamboo as another thrust area for further economic development of the state and set up “Value Addition Center for Bamboo “which aims at following:

• Enhancing self employment opportunity and income generating opportunities for tribal and rural poor using bamboo.

• Creation of sustainable community based production model with concomitant benefits for forest conservation.

• Capacity enhancement of local artisans through skill up gradation training programme.

The value addition Centre for Bamboo is located in the Industrial Estate, Anada Nagar, about 12 km south of capital city Agartala.The Value Addition Centre is the pioneer unit having treatment facility for Bamboo and is also equipped with range of furniture making machines & tools.

Grooming of SHG’s

The unique concept of developing SHG’s through skill up gradation and providing them Sustainable support through common facility centre in the Industrial Estate coupled with linkages with Resource Base and Marketing Tie-ups is pioneering effort of TFDPC Ltd. Skill up gradation programme for local youth mainly for women on various aspects of Bamboo furniture making is one of the major objectives of the Unit.Several trainings have been organized and one Self Help Groups from trained youths has been formed to facilitate their earning through bamboo based furniture & handicraft making activity. The products manufactured in the unit has already got appreciation for their unique design and also for use of Chemically treated termite, borer and insect resistance bamboos.Further an MOU has been signed with FRI Dehradun for technology transfer for making of Bamboo boards using destructured Bamboos/ waste cellulosic materials.

In order to strengthen the supply chain of Bamboo as raw materials, large scale captive plantations of industrially important species has been envisioned in coming years. For raising the plantations the nurseries are required for which trainings have been conducted with the help of DR. R.L.Banik Scientist (Retd.) from Bangladesh FRI.