 Hon’ble Minister for Industries Shri. V.K. Ebrahimkunju inaugurated the Kerala Bamboo Fest 2005. In this inaugural speech the Minister expressed his appreciation of the efforts made by the State Bamboo Mission to provide this platform for the benefit of bamboo based communities and agencies in the State. He stressed the need to initiate more concerted actions aimed at rejuvenating the bamboo sector. Hon’ble Minister for Industries also unveiled and released two books titled on Bamboo Cultivation and Bamboo Propagation published n Malayalam by National Mission on Bamboo Applications (NMBA), New Delhi. Participation in the Fest comprised representatives of the Bamboo communities in the State including artisans & craftsmen, manufacturers and producers, bamboo processing machinery manufacturers. Technologists & researchers, national level leaders in the sector, publishers, NGOs and new product / technology pioneers. In all, 82 exhibition stalls (as against 42 in 2004) were set up to display various products made from Bamboo, Reed, Rattan and Screw pine. Individual Artisans, Master Craftsmen, NGOs, SHGs, Small Scale Industries, Government controlled institutions, machinery manufacturers and organisations from outside the State working in the Bamboo sector participated in the Expo and displayed their products. Products on display included Handicrafts, Furniture, wood substitutes, Building, construction & structural applications, Industrial products, specialised bamboo processing machinery / techniques, Decorative & artistic products, Research works and publications.  One special feature of Bamboo Fest 2005 was the presence of stalls of artisans and groups from other states – Assam, Uttaranchal and West Bengal – besides participation by IIT, Mumbai and a machinery manufacturer from Maharashtra. Individual artisans sponsored by Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Thiruvananthapuram and “Surabhi”, Kochi also set up stalls in the Fest. There was a steady stream of visitors on all the three days of the Fest. The Expo managed to evoke strong interest from the crowds in the variety of products made of bamboo, rattan, reeds and screw pine. The huge crowds that thronged the Expo on the last two days (21 st and 22 nd of December, 2005) made significant purchase from the stalls. The presence of “institutional buyers” in the form of Resorts and Builders also helped to propagate the message of bamboo as an eco-friendly building and interior-design material. This resulted in enquiries and orders to execute specific works.  Besides this, the exhibitors got the opportunity to interact with each other and establish business linkages, which would be of mutual benefit in times to come. They also used the occasion to catch up on the developments being made in other States by interacting with each other. By organising the Fest, the State Bamboo Mission was able to achieve close association with the bamboo based players in the State, reinforce the bonds between Government agencies and private enterprises and explore ways to establish strong linkages to carry out the activities of the Mission aimed at the bamboo community in the State. The linkages fostered during Kerala Bamboo Fest 2005 would open up opportunities in future for faster exchange of information, creation of marketing channels between producers and marketers, adoption of new production techniques / technologies, sourcing of machinery and technology for new products, better and regular interaction with designers, researchers and technologists and in help exploring new avenues and access to a wider market. |
Kerala Bamboo Fest 2005 showcased products such as Handicrafts, Furniture, Wood substitutes, Building, construction & structural applications, Industrial products, specialised bamboo processing machinery / techniques, Decorative & artistic products, Research & applications as well as publications.