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Our Bureau

Kochi , Dec. 15

AIMED at providing a common platform for artisans, craftsmen as well as the bamboo industry, the State Bamboo Mission and the Industries Department are jointly organising a three-day Kerala Bamboo Fest 2004 at the Town Hall here from Friday.

Mr C.P. John, Vice-Chairman of the State Bamboo Mission, said that the State Government has been taking various initiatives in the bamboo sector, which has the strategic advantage of a highly productive, renewable and eco-friendly resource.

Considering the major scope for the development of bamboo in the State, special programmes are being developed for the cultivation and creation of new designs, he said.

The three-day fest will showcase various products and services, including handicrafts, furniture and wood substitutes, and also offer opportunities for the players in the sector for exchange of information and the creation of linkages between producers and marketers.

The festival will expose the Kerala bamboo sector to mechanisation and advanced processing techniques and practices.

The other objectives are to increase the involvement of national and international agencies to further the State's activities in the sector and also to foster links between national level research agencies and local researchers, he added.

According to Mr John, the Bamboo Mission was constituted in 2003 to marshall the scattered resources of the State and adopt a focussed approach to revitalise the bamboo sector, thereby promoting value addition, enhancing income generation and alleviating poverty.

As part of the activities of the mission, he pointed out that work had already been initiated to promote cultivation of bamboo in selected panchayats, introduce mechanised means of primary bamboo processing, impart training inputs to artisans and to provide the artisan community a platform for marketing their products.

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