Bamboo shoot is the new star

After the plant, the shoot. No, that’s not about plant biology going wrong, but the rediscovery of the bamboo. Soon after designers beg...

After the plant, the shoot. No, that’s not about plant biology going wrong, but the rediscovery of the bamboo. Soon after designers began exploiting its resource potential, the Planning Commission has estimated that the Indian bamboo shoots industry can grow at 25 per cent and increase its market share from Rs 48 million to Rs 3000 million.

Bamboo shoots — which do not have much of a demand as foodstuff anywhere but in the North-East — are attracting packaging and marketing interest that could ensure returns hand-over-fist. A North-Eastern Development Finance Corporation profile aims at winning investments of Rs 19.8 million for the establishment of state-of-the-art units for producing 500 tonnes of canned bamboo shoots annually.

The expected returns: Rs 5.491 million profit after tax (PAT) by the end of the sixth year. In the first year, the PAT is expected to be in the region of Rs 3.104 million.

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Where does all the money come from? In a word: Exports. The northern hemisphere — especially Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand, all major importers — consume about 2 million tonnes of bamboo shoots a year. Japan, a major importer of the product, pays Rs 70 per kg of bamboo shoots.

Lest it seem too simple, the US Food and Drugs Administration has certain strictures for fresh and canned bamboo products, which Indian exports could be expected to abide by. Raw bamboo shoots have to have 8.3 per cent calories from fat, 32.7 per cent calories from protein and 58.9 per cent from carbohydrate content. Canned shoots have to have 16 per cent calories from fat, 31.3 per cent calories from protein and 52.7 per cent from carbs.

The USFDA has also specified the composition of calorie, water protein, fat, sugar, fibre, ash, calcium, phosphide, iron and vitamin in three different species of shoots.

That’s not the only outside help India is getting. The International Network for Bamboos and Rattan has identified six species as most suited for the development of the bamboo shoot industry in India: Bambusa balcooa, Dendrocalamus brandisii, Dendrocalamus giganteus, Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, Dendrocalamus strictus and Meloccana bambuisodes.

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In the North-East, Bambusa balcooa (bhaluka), Dendrocalamus giganteus (sadiya kaka) and Melocanna bombusoides (muli) are only three of the many common varieties.