Here’s The Story Of The First Independent Lady Bamboo Farmer In Maharashtra
Bamboo is abundant in India. The country under bamboo cultivation is estimated to be more than 13.96 million hectares with more than 136 distinct species. Bamboo covers nearly 13% of India’s total forest area. This makes India the world’s second-largest Bamboo growing country after China.
The Union Government of India in the year 2017 amended the Indian Forests Act 1927 to remove Bamboo from the category of “Trees’ ‘ and designated it as a Minor Forest Produce and no license is required to start a bamboo farm.
Bamboo is a perennial grass, most varieties of bamboo live for a few decades, and some for even a century or more.
The Indian bamboo market currently has a demand of 27 million tons of bamboo every year. Though we have 30% production of the world’s bamboo resources, we only meet 50% of the domestic demand.
Bamboo farming can be profitable in India for several reasons. Bamboo grows quickly, which means it can be harvested and sold within a few years. It has a wide range of uses, including construction, paper production, furniture, and even food. In India most of the north east region is most suitable for Bamboo farming but slowly, Maharashtra farmers are getting into it too.
One young woman- Anuradha from Daund, Pune, Maharashtra, took up this challenge and started her very own Bamboo farm – The Bamboo Setu farms.
Born in a small town Daund, Anuradha grew up in a lower middle-class family with two sisters and a brother. Her parents worked in the govt dept and life was a struggle.
Also read about Atal Setu in Mumbai
The Humble Beginning
Anuradha had lots of responsibilities while growing up, managing the household. Staying in a rural chawl, daily life was a struggle and survival was a fight they had to win daily. Yet, simple living and strong cultural upbringing gave them a steady foundation.
She completed her schooling from a local govt school and graduated from Baramati in Pune Dist. She went ahead to complete her Bsc.(Maths) and B.Ed. took up teaching as a profession in Baramati.
Seven years of teaching, marriage, having a son, moving with her husband to Delhi, brought about a lot of changes in Anuradha’s life.
During her search for a teaching job in Delhi, she got introduced to S.S.C civil services exams. Her fundamental nature being, that once she gets into something, she puts in her 100% dedication and energy to succeed. She cleared her prelims and mains but pregnancy and motherhood took priority.
After 2 years, they moved back to Pune and she once again appeared for MPSE exams and cracked it too. But destiny had other plans.
She came across an article on ‘Bamboo’ and amendment in the Indian Forest Act, 1927 section 2(7) by the central Govt. Being a thinking person, she questioned why after 90 years, the government decided to change its policy on Bamboo? And this curiosity attracted her towards learning more about bamboo farming.
The Twist Of Fate
When fate supports you, circumstances become favorable. Her husband started his own firm of hospitality management and got a project for Eco-Resort development in Velhe Taluka, Dist Pune and the theme of the Project was to use ‘Bamboo’ as a main resource in construction. Anuradha grabbed this opportunity and went into intense research about bamboo through every source and meeting people in this field.
Serving her country through civil services was always a passion. Anuradha could not continue with that due to various reasons.
With this Bamboo project, she felt Bamboo is a wonder plant, which is a fast-growing sturdy grass that can be an important nature-based solution to a number of pressing global challenges, for livelihood development, green trade, climate change mitigation and environmental protection.
She decided to create a farm which will be a bridge – a Setu- between the Carbon Farmers and end users.
Project Bamboo
The search began and started to look for land which could be converted into a bamboo project. Ownership plot was not possible due to budget issues etc. Finally they took a plot on lease located in Tal Bhor.
Living in Pune and working in Bhor, on a remote farm, with no proper approach road, again was a challenge. There was no proper electricity or water facilities and the network was a huge issue. The only positive thing was that the land had its existing Bamboo plantation.
To shift from Pune to such a place was not so easy, leaving a well settled comfortable urban life, child’s education etc, but she followed her dream and moved ahead, confident that she will manage all the obstacles somehow.
The added bonus was having a supportive husband, Rahul, who offered to move to Bhor. The house they moved into was unkept and covered with overgrowth of bamboo forest, yet, Anuradha managed to make it a home soon.
The Bamboo Setu
Slowly and steadily, in the next two years, as a woman agri-entrepreneur, she tapped into the potential of bamboo through her venture called “The Bamboo Setu.” Being the ‘First Independent lady bamboo farmer in Maharashtra’
One of the key aspects of her business is bamboo plantation and she cultivated different species of bamboo. Bamboo is known for its fast growth and high yield, making it an excellent option for agri-business. Through careful cultivation and management practices, she ensure a sustainable and profitable bamboo plantation and her bamboo farm is the ‘Only well managed, maintained and integrated bamboo farm in Maharashtra’
Bamboo Tourism
In addition to the plantation, she also developed bamboo tourism as part of her business. Recognizing the growing interest in ecotourism and sustainable travel, she offered visitors the opportunity to explore bamboo plantations and learn about its various uses. Tourists can experience the beauty of bamboo forests, witness the bamboo harvesting process, and understand the environmental benefits of bamboo cultivation. This not only promotes sustainable tourism but also educates people about the potential of bamboo as a resource and her tourism project is the ‘first Bamboo Tourism Project in Maharashtra.’
Another aspect of her business is bamboo preservation & construction. Bamboo is a strong and durable material that can be used for various construction purposes. She partnered with architects and construction experts in bamboo construction techniques to offer innovative and eco-friendly solutions. From bamboo houses and eco-resorts to bamboo structures and furniture, they create aesthetically pleasing and sustainable structures using bamboo and developed a supply chain of preserved bamboo as per specification.
Through her agri-business focused on bamboo, her aim was to promote sustainable development, create employment opportunities, and raise awareness about the importance of bamboo as a renewable resource. As a woman agri-entrepreneur, she strives to empower women in rural communities by providing them with training and employment opportunities in bamboo cultivation and processing.
Anuradha always had a broad vision and wanted her project to benefit the whole community
- Employment opportunities were created for few women and slowly this number kept increasing. Youth was a major focus and taking them to future such forests was a major goal. Approx.
- Capacity building training was given to Women’s SHG’s from Aurangabad and Jalna Dist through NABARD.
- 15 – 18 youths have been given free training and workshops in bamboo cultivation, nursery, construction. Through these workshops and training local youths are getting motivated and keen in working with bamboo and making it a livelihood.
- Local Marginal farmers have been given training for proper bamboo cultivation and harvesting and farm management
– Seeing their well managed bamboo farm, few local farmers from the nearby village have started maintaining their bamboo farms as they do under her guidance and they are truly satisfied to witness the difference in their yield and as well low cost harvesting process.
– Approximately around 400 – 500 visitors have visited their farm to seek knowledge about bamboo from its plantation process till its value addition.
– some key visitors to their farm were Shri. Girish Sohani(Ex. President) BAIF, Pune. Shri. Dr. P. Tetali (Scientist), Shri. Y. Kawade (Founder Chairman) M.I.T Aurangabad, Bamboo Experts Shri. Abhay Gandhe, Shri. Vinay Kolte, Shri. Ajay Dolkhe, NABARD DDM Officials Shri Rohan More, Shri. Tejas Kshirsagar. Shri Deepak M. Jagtap, Shri. Raja Deshpande (Retd Govt. class one officer), Shri. S. Reddy, Shri B, Nawaj from IWST, Bengaluru.
– Farmers for Vidharbha, Khandesh, Marathwada have specially visited to see the farm as this will support farming in their region which has low irrigation facilities.
– She aims to develop her Nandghur village into a ‘Smart Bamboo Village’ in the coming years.
Anuradha believes that if we have more women agri entrepreneurs taking up such projects, India’s agricultural sector will have a brighter future. Anuradha is amongst the progressive and confident generation who is actually contributing to change and making farming a profession to be proud of, giving employment opportunities to many local rural populations and smartly using bamboo as a major revenue source.
The Bamboo Setu is not just a business venture; it is a commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable living. By harnessing the potential of bamboo in plantation, tourism, and construction, she aims to contribute to a greener and more sustainable future.
Contact Details :
Anuradha Kashid
Add : Nandghur Village, Post Velvand, Taluka Bhor,
Dist Pune 412206, Maharashtra State.
Mobile : 9158197646 I 9421789088
Email : thebamboosetu@gmail.com
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Nice article 👍