Utilization Aspects of Bamboo and its Market Value

Bamboos are one of the versatile plant groups with multifarious uses and meet many needs of the society. Bamboo is a viable replacement for wood and industrial raw material for both traditional cottage and modern industrial sectors. The employment potential of bamboo is very high and the major work forces involved are rural poor. The paper elucidates the potential of bamboo as an industrial raw material in various sectors viz., food production, building and construction material, wood substitute, cottage industries, handicraft, pulp and paper, medicinal products, and charcoal production. The paper also explicates the scope of development of domestic and export market for bamboo. With new technical, marketing finesse and renewed commitment, bamboo could take on the role as the material of the future.