KVIC urges govt to lift 'export prohibition' on Bamboo Charcoal for profitability of industry

New Delhi: Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has urged the Centre to lift the "export prohibition" on bamboo charcoal for optimum utilisation of raw bamboo and higher profitability in the bamboo industry. One of the biggest challenges that the Indian bamboo industry faces today is the extremely high input cost owing to inadequate utilization of bamboo. The export of bamboo charcoal would ensure complete utilisation of the bamboo waste and thus make the business more profitable.

KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena has written to Minister of Commerce and Industries, Piyush Goyal, seeking to lift the export restriction on bamboo charcoal for larger benefit of the bamboo industry.

In India, bamboo is mostly used in manufacturing of Agarbatti wherein, a maximum of 16 per cent, i.e. the upper layers of the bamboo, is used for manufacturing of bamboo sticks while the remaining 84 per cent of bamboo is a complete waste.

The Bamboo waste generated in Agarbatti and bamboo craft industries is not being utilised commercially, as a result, the Bamboo input cost for Round Bamboo Sticks is in the range of Rs 25,000 to Rs 40,000 per MT as against the average Bamboo cost of Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per MT. Compared to this, the Bamboo price in China is Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 per MT but their input cost is Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 per MT owing to 100 per cent waste utilisation.

"The bamboo waste can be best utilised by making Bamboo Charcoal which, though, has a very limited use within the domestic market but it is hugely in demand in the international market," Saxena said.