AIAMA to partner with Tripura for bamboo production

Bengaluru: All India Agarbathi Manufacturers Association (AIAMA), has hailed the initiatives that the government of Tripura is planning to roll out for agarbathi manufacturers at the Agarbathi Investor Meet organised by the Tripura Bamboo Mission. The occasion also witnessed AIAMA deliberating and sharing suggestions to encourage bamboo sourcing by the agarbathi manufacturers from the State of Tripura, the bottle necks that are currently prevalent and how the State can address and make a formidable raw material sourcing as well as become an agarbathi manufacturing hub. The event was attended by more than 70 agarbathi manufacturers from across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Elaborating about the event and the discussion that followed, Vijay S G, vice president, AIAMA, said, "Bamboo (Bambusa Tulda) is the one of the critical raw material required to manufacture agarbathies. The industry requires 5,000 tonnes of bamboo sticks in a month to meet the market demand. However, currently Tripura caters to small section. There is a big demand-supply gap owing to lack of the product availability as well as the sourcing compliance hurdles. We are glad that Tripura Bamboo Mission has come forward and is keen on creating a conducive eco-system in the State that will benefit agarbathi and its allied industries."

"The soil and climatic conditions in the State are conducive for cultivation of Bambusa Tulda, the bamboo variety required to manufacture agarbathies. We will extend our support in sourcing the sapling and end product as well," added Vijay S G.

Rakesh Rawal, Mission Director, Tripura Bamboo Mission, said, "Agarbathi industry is a fast growing industry; it also has the potential to further create employment opportunities in our region and hence we are very keen on partnering with this industry."

With CAGR of around 3.6% the Indian agarbathi has been growing significantly over the years. The current retail value of the industry is around Rs 7,500 crore and with a revenue of Rs 1000 crore the industry is also one of the leading exporters from the county.