Nagpur: Bamboo is not only a great building material but also an excellent water purifier and holds the capacity to cleanse even saline water, said TSK Reddy, director (administration) of Maharashtra Bamboo Development Board (MBDB), on Tuesday.Speaking on ‘Bamboo plantation in Vidarbha and its evolution’, Reddy said, “There are numerous uses of the produce in sectors like construction, industrial and textile about which the people are learning. It is an excellent cooling material and can be widely used in buildings in hot regions like Vidarbha. It can bring down temperature inside the building by 4-5 degrees Celsius.”The event that marked the World Bamboo Day celebrations was organized jointly by MBDB and Rotary Club of Nagpur Elite at the board office to create awareness among people about the multiple uses of this grass. “The 128 different species of bamboo in India have over 26 value-added uses. One clump of bamboo generates 320kg oxygen per year whereas one person consumes 280kg. Thus, it gifts 40kg of oxygen to environment,” said Reddy.He said if there is a mass cultivation, bamboo products like particle boards, ethanol (widely used as a substitute to petroleum) and biogas are a few which can considerably lessen burden on the country’s economy, proving to be an added asset to farmers.MBDB is currently in negotiations with State Bank of India (SBI) to provide loans to farmers who want to cultivate bamboo in their farms. “Owing to the resourcefulness of bamboo, SBI will soon be granting loans to farmers for the purpose for which talks are underway, said Reddy.“Maharashtra has 23.12% of forest or green areas as against the minimum requirement of 33%. To match these standards, we need to plant more trees in 75 lakh acres of area. However, owing to its short maturity period, bamboo should be a favourable choice,” Reddy added.Present at the programme were N Rambabu, managing director of Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra, Ajay Patil and Anand Fiske.

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