Industree Foundation inks MoU to promote bamboo plantation in Nagaland

New Delhi, Jul 13 (PTI) Industree Foundation has signed an MoU with Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM) to support efforts towards promoting certified bamboo plantation as well as processing in the state. Bengaluru-based Industree Foundation, a non-profit organisation, incubates and supports farmer/producer collectives. It focuses on value addition at source and building traceable supply chains in agroforestry/natural fibre value chains. In a statement on Monday, the foundation said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NSRLM in Kohima. The NSRLM, along with Industree Foundation, as its technical and knowledge partner, will integrate 30,000 smallholder women farmers into the bamboo value chain and further set up collective enterprises of women using bamboo. This effort is part of the Bamboo Sub-Sector Initiative by the DAY-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) under the Ministry of Rural Development at the Centre. Neju George Abraham, CEO of Industree Foundation, said, "Bamboo is deeply rooted in Nagaland's everyday life and culture. The state's remarkable diversity of bamboo species also holds strong commercial potential." Through this partnership, he said it will help in developing certified plantations and enabling carbon credit accreditation. "We look forward to building and strengthening processing capabilities in the state by establishing processing units, developing new products and connecting producers to high-value markets," Abraham said. Industree previously signed MoUs with State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana, and Tripura as it seeks to support small and marginal women farmers in adopting bamboo-based livelihoods at scale. Presently, it is focusing on bamboo, banana, and biodegradable leaf plates across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and Maharashtra. PTI MJH TRB