Nagaland Partnership Targets 30,000 Women for Bamboo Industry

Kohima: The Industree Foundation and the Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission signed a deal in Kohima this week. They plan to pull 30,000 women farmers into the state bamboo trade. It is a big move. This partnership will turn fallow land into productive bamboo farms.

This initiative falls under the federal Bamboo Sub-Sector Initiative. The national goal targets one million rural women over the next five years. Industree Foundation will act as the technical lead to build processing units and link local producers to global buyers. The work focuses on establishing collective, women-led enterprises.

Neju George Abraham, CEO of Industree Foundation, noted the untapped potential of the local flora. "Nagaland's rich bamboo diversity offers significant opportunities for both livelihoods and industry," he said. The project aims to certify these plantations and pursue carbon credit accreditation for the farmers.

Bamboo is a long-term play. Farmers start pulling income four years after planting. These harvests can last for several decades. The foundation already manages similar projects in states like Odisha, Jharkhand, and Tripura. They previously landed India's first forest certification for over 6,000 women in Karnataka and Maharashtra.