In news
The Green Gold Collection, a dedicated window for bamboo products was launched by the Union Minister of State for Agriculture
About Green Gold Collection widow
- This window is the result of collaborative work between the National Bamboo Mission and the Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
- The dedicated window will provide an electronic platform for the small manufacturers and niche sellers thereby vastly increasing their reach to attract buyers and at the same time will provide niche products from trusted sources to the buyers.
- This window showcases a range of exquisitely handcrafted bamboo and bamboo products, handicrafts, disposals and office utility products on the GeM portal.
- It aims to provide bamboo artisans, weavers and entrepreneurs in rural areas with market access to Government buyers.
- Product categories ranging from bamboo poles to bamboo products in furniture, lifestyle & décor, kitchenware, industrial machinery, handcrafted items such as toys and office utility items like agarbatti/ incense sticks, disposables, water bottles, yoga mats, charcoal, etc. are being uploaded on the portal for Government buyers.
- This initiative seeks to promote the adoption and use of bamboo products among Government buyers and usher a sustainable rural economy for an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Bamboo-Green Gold
- Green Gold, as bamboo is often known, is found everywhere in India.
- It is one of those rare, naturally-occurring resources agnostic to climatic conditions, soil conditions and precipitation levels available in 136 species.
- India is the second-largest bamboo growing country in the world
- The Indian Forest (Amendment) Ordinance of 2017 that re-classified bamboo as a grass, has opened doors to its widespread cultivation and encouraged many bamboo manufacturing organisations to mainstream their products.
Its significance
- Bamboo is a rapidly growing, renewable, durable, and affordable non-wood raw material whose tenacity makes it ideal for construction and furniture design.
- Its use would replace the over-reliance on wood which depleting forests have also made financially unsustainable.
- At the same time, bamboo is also highly malleable and can be used to make products that, at present, are made of plastic.
- Bamboo can also be a gateway to Indian rural development, primarily since it features so prominently in many rural communities across the country.
- In recent years, bamboo has shown its strength in producing superior value-added products that can replace wood timber and low-quality plastic, responsible for much of today’s pollution and environmental degradation.
Extra reading: https://journalsofindia.com/national-bamboo-mission/
https://journalsofindia.com/government-e-marketplacegem/
Source: PIB
