Nagaland observed World Bamboo Day 2026 with a focus on innovation, value addition, market access and youth entrepreneurship in the bamboo sector.
Bamboo entrepreneurship moves beyond farming and traditional crafts
DIMAPUR — The Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency (NBDA) observed World Bamboo Day 2026 on the theme “Bamboo beyond Borders” at the Nagaland Bamboo Resource Centre (NBRC), Sovima, Chümoukedima, on Friday, with emphasis on expanding the bamboo sector through innovation, value addition and wider market access.
The programme featured the hoisting of the World Bamboo Day flag and the inauguration of the ‘Green Gold Barn’, a new facility at the NBRC showcasing the use of bamboo through traditional knowledge, technology and innovation.
According to a DIPR report, the facility is expected to be opened for public use in the near future.
NBDA Chairman Nuzota Swuro, who attended the programme as guest of honour, highlighted bamboo’s significance to Nagaland’s history, culture and rural economy.
He said the resource had increasingly emerged as an avenue for enterprise, employment, innovation and sustainable development.
Reflecting on the NBDA’s journey since its establishment in 2005, Swuro said the Agency’s work had expanded beyond bamboo plantation to include skill development, processing, value addition, enterprise creation, technology intervention and market development.
He highlighted initiatives such as common facility centres, bamboo processing units, rural bamboo haats and bamboo bazaars, along with market promotion under the ‘Naturally Nagaland’ brand. He said two common facility centres established by the Agency had generated employment for more than 500 people.
Swuro stressed the need to strengthen market linkages so that bamboo products from Nagaland could reach wider national and international markets.
He also called for greater participation of youth in the sector, noting that bamboo entrepreneurship extended beyond farming and traditional craftsmanship to fields such as design, engineering, architecture, food processing, digital marketing and technology.
He further called for a coordinated approach involving sustainable resource management, scientific harvesting, value addition, innovation and organised value chains to make bamboo a stronger source of livelihood for rural communities.
According to Swuro, Nagaland had identified the potential for developing bamboo economic zones in Dimapur, Niuland, Chümoukedima and Peren, with concentrated plantation and resource development linked to future industrial units.
Delivering the keynote address, NBDA Mission Director Tiameren Chang said World Bamboo Day was an occasion to recognise bamboo’s potential in sustainable development, environmental protection, livelihood generation and economic transformation.
Chang highlighted the Agency’s achievements, including block plantations covering 1,506 hectares, training of more than 200 entrepreneurs and artisans, establishment of two common facility centres and primary processing units, 30 rural haats, 30 bamboo bazaars and 15 demonstration plots across the state.
He also highlighted NBDA’s participation in trade fairs and exhibitions and the annual Hornbill Bamboo Carnival, which provides a platform for artisans and entrepreneurs to showcase and promote their products.
Referring to the newly inaugurated Green Gold Barn, Chang said the facility demonstrated how traditional bamboo knowledge could be combined with technology and innovation for more efficient utilisation of the resource. He added that it would cater to the public and be opened for public use in the near future.
Chang stressed the need to explore the potential of indigenous bamboo species and strengthen plantation management, scientific harvesting, modern processing, product development, branding and market access, while ensuring that the benefits reached farmers, rural communities, artisans, youth and entrepreneurs.
Dr Jayanta Choudhury, Professor and Head of the Department of Rural Development and Planning at Nagaland University, Medziphema Campus, spoke on bamboo cultivation, nursery development and utilisation.
He highlighted the potential of bamboo-based biochar in Nagaland and proposed introducing diploma and vocational courses related to bamboo at the university.
Choudhury also spoke on bamboo’s applications ranging from domestic use to industrial and commercial purposes and its potential contribution to addressing climate change. He called for greater collaboration among bamboo agencies across the North Eastern states to strengthen coordination and help the region compete in wider markets.
The programme also featured the distribution of certificates to trainees who had successfully completed vocational skill development courses at the centre.