Bamboo plantation to be undertaken on 10,000 hectares in Maharashtra: CM Eknath Shinde

CM Eknath Shinde. File Pic

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that bamboo plantation will be undertaken on 10,000 hectares in the state, reported the PTI on Thursday.

According to the PTI, CM Shinde said that reducing carbon emissions is of paramount importance in today's era of climate change and planting bamboo is a viable option for achieving this goal.

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CM Shinde was speaking after inaugurating the Environmental Sustainability Summit in Mumbai on Tuesday, an official release said, as per the PTI.

CM Eknath Shinde said that shifts in natural cycle and issues like unseasonal weather, hailstorms, and heavy rains are attributed to environmental changes.

He highlighted the government's efforts to reduce carbon emissions through bamboo planting initiatives. Bamboo, known for its potential in maintaining environmental balance, absorbs significantly more carbon than other trees, he said.

CM Shinde said the government plans to establish urban forests and plant bamboo along major highways in the state. He also highlighted the significance of bamboo as a biomass source, generating ethanol and being approved for use in thermal power plants by the central government, the news agency reported.

Encouraging farmers to embrace bamboo cultivation, CM Shinde said there is a subsidy of Rs 7 lakh per hectare for bamboo farming.

Researchers and bamboo experts from various countries attended the event.

Chairman of State Agricultural Value Commission Pasha Patel, Nadir Godrej of Godrej Industries Group, and Principal Secretary of Environment and Climate Change Department Praveen Darade were present at the event, according to the news agency.

Earlier, in December this year, CM Shinde had said that it was a big relief for the farmers as the Centre lifted ban to allow use of sugarcane for ethanol.

CM Shinde thanked Union minister Amit Shah after the Centre lifted its ban on the use of sugarcane juice for making ethanol, calling the move a "big relief" to cane growers, the PTI had reported.

In a post on X, released by his office, CM Eknath Shinde had said, "The central government has given permission to produce ethanol from sugarcane. I welcome this decision. This will give a big relief to the sugarcane farmers of the state. Heartfelt thanks to the central government and Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah.

(with PTI inputs)