Bamboo policy on the anvil: Gadkari
The Government is soon likely to bring a policy to promote bamboo sector which could be used to harness biofuel, Union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister, Nitin Gadkari said at an ASSOCHAM event held in New Delhi on Tuesday. “I have been very diligently working towards diversification of agriculture into energy and power sector, I am happy to inform that I aggressively followed up with the matter and held three meetings with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and soon we will have a bamboo policy,” said Gadkari while addressing an ASSOCHAM summit - Crop, Care & Doubling Farmers’ Income: Myths, challenges & way forward.
“Our petroleum minister has also signed 15 contracts to harness bio ethanol out of bamboo,” said Gadkari.
He also said that second generation ethanol can be made using bamboo, cotton straw, rice straw and residual cane-waste (bagasse).
“I do not think future of farmers can be transformed by producing wheat and rice as such carrying out innovation, entrepreneurship, technology and research is very important,” he added.
Suggesting certain measures aimed at ensuring growth and development of agriculture sector, Gadkari said, “There is a need to bring down costs per acre and also to promote allied sectors like dairy, fisheries, poultry and others.”
“In the current scenario, we need to boost productivity to promote economic viability which would lead to job generation and boost the gross domestic product (GDP), besides promoting agro-processing industries and bringing down costs of power, seeds, fertilisers and insecticides is equally imperative,” he added.
He further said that all of these steps together will lead to overall development of agriculture sector.
Highlighting that diversification of agriculture is most critical, he said that it is imperative to find substitute of petrol, diesel using agrowaste which would be import-substitute, cost effective, pollution-free and indigenous.
Taking a dig at the previous government regime, Gadkari said, “Had the capital cost incurred on purchase of aircrafts worth Rs 70,000 crore been used to provide irrigation facilities to farmers, it would have made a huge difference to the agriculture sector.”