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Bamboo Charcoal now free to export: Govt of India

BNE ADMIN


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Guwahati: Central Government has lifted the “export prohibition” on bamboo charcoal, a move that would facilitate optimum utilization of raw bamboo and higher profitability in the Indian bamboo industry.

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), which is supporting thousands of bamboo-based industries in the country, was persistently requesting the Government to lift the export restriction on bamboo charcoal.

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

"All bamboo charcoal manufactured from bamboo obtained from legal sources is approved for export subject to sufficient documentation/certificate of origin confirming that the bamboo used for producing charcoal was obtained from legal sources," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade stated in a notification (DGFT).

Shri Saxena, Chairman of KVIC, congratulated Minister of Commerce and Enterprises Piyush Goyal for the policy change, saying it will lower the high input cost of raw bamboo and make bamboo-based industries, especially in distant rural regions, financially viable. "Bamboo charcoal has a high demand in the worldwide market, and the government's easing of the export ban will allow the Indian bamboo sector to capitalise on this opportunity and capitalise on the high global demand." This would also ensure the most efficient use of bamboo trash, contributing to the Prime Minister's objective of Waste to Wealth," he stated.

"All bamboo charcoal manufactured from legal sources is approved for export subject to sufficient documentation/certificate of origin confirming that the bamboo used for generating charcoal was acquired from legal sources," according to a notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

The Indian bamboo sector is now dealing with exceptionally high input costs as a result of insufficient usage of bamboo. Bamboo is mostly utilised in the production of Agarbatti in India, with a maximum of 16% used for the production of bamboo sticks and the rest 84 percent being a complete waste. As a result, the Bamboo input cost for Round Bamboo Sticks ranges between Rs 25,000 and Rs 40,000 per MT, as opposed to the usual Bamboo cost of Rs 4,000 to 5,000 per MT.

However, exporting bamboo charcoal will assure total usage of the bamboo waste, making the bamboo company more profitable. Bamboo charcoal has enormous potential in foreign markets such as the United States, Japan, Korea, Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom for barbeque, soil nourishment, and as a raw material for making activated charcoal.

BNE ADMIN