In Assam, a biofuel refinery, set up at the Numaligarh Refinery (NRL) is soon to produce biofuel from bamboo. Significantly, bamboo is abundantly found in the north-east.
The Arunachal Pradesh government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NRL for funding three lakh tonnes of bamboo per year from the frontier state. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also assured Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju that the state’s huge bamboo resources could be utilised to their fullest potential, which can improve the economy of the rural masses.
Only 5% of bamboo is used to make paper while another 5% is used in the manufacturing of furniture and other building materials, said Pradhan. He further added that a healthy and honest system will be put in place for the procurement of bamboo, avoiding any middlemen in the transaction. He also suggested setting up small bamboo processing units in rural hubs which will also help curbing unemployment.
The Union Minister said that the ministry has come out with the Vision 2020 document that includes an intense roadmap for the northeast in oil and natural gas exploration, the extension of production, distribution, research, etc. He urged both Khandu and Rijiju to acknowledge the document and plan accordingly.
