The untapped potential of the bamboo industry in Tripura

Tripura is known for its rich and diverse bamboo resources, but their commercial potential has not been sufficiently explored in the state. Despite several attempts, the bamboo industry in Tripura has struggled to provide long-term economic benefits to its people.

I am the founder of Youth for Integration Trust, a nonprofit based in Agartala, Tripura. We work on forest rights awareness and livelihoods generation, which includes working with crafts makers to increase their income.

In 2020, an officer from the Forest Research Center for Livelihood Extension (FRCLE), Agartala, a Government of India entity, approached us to work with bamboo-based products for livelihood generation. We sent 30 women from Lembucherra, a village near Agartala, to FRCLE’s Gandhigram centre to be trained in making bamboo baskets by a master trainer.

This training gave us the idea to make bamboo brooms that could replace plastic brooms, which are now commonly available in Tripura. It seemed a great way to reduce plastic usage while utilising bamboo. At first, the idea worked well. But soon, we faced problems. The broom grass was available for only three months a year and in areas far away from West Tripura where we are based. Transporting it to Lembucherra was expensive and difficult, and so the women had to give up on the initiative.

We then moved to bamboo water bottles, hoping to create something unique and eco-friendly. We even sent samples to actor Manoj Bajpayee, who spread the word on social media. This garnered attention and we received some orders, including one from Assam for 300 bottles. But we faced technical hurdles. Bamboo bottles need a steel lining inside because bamboo can’t hold water on its own. But despite introducing this lining, the bottles developed cracks and fungus. Even with the steel lining, they couldn’t meet the required quality, and we had to refund many orders.

Attempts were made by various organisations to launch more bamboo-based products such as bamboo rice, bamboo biscuits, and bamboo bats. But none of these were fully successful. Bamboo rice can be harvested only when bamboo flowers are at the end of their lifespan, which can take 25–30 years. Therefore, it cannot be produced at scale. Similarly, bamboo biscuits were produced in order to have a healthy biscuit alternative. But they ended up being mostly made of wheat flour, with minimal bamboo content. As for bamboo bats, the project never really took off.

The bamboo industry in Tripura has the potential to be on par with Assam’s, which is one of the largest in the country. But without proper planning and support, it can’t grow. For things to change, the state needs better infrastructure, technical training for artisans, and stronger market connections. Otherwise, Tripura cannot compete with other bamboo-producing states on a global stage.

Bibhuti Debbarma is the founder of Youth for Integration Trust.

As told to Anupam Sharma, IDR Northeast Fellow 2024–25.

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