The state forest department plans to introduce the National Bamboo Mission to ensure that farmers in these drought-hit regions are able to recover their losses.

State mission director Rajive Kumar said: “The mission will not only help in increasing bamboo yield but will also provide more employment opportunities. Through various researches we have found that Bundelkhand and Poorvanchal are ideal for bamboo cultivation.”

The mission will focus on private cultivation of bamboo. “We want to focus on both private and government lands. But since these regions need urgent support, we will prefer cultivation on private lands. We will give monetary aid to farmers who become part of the mission and also provide them with the best variety of bamboo shoots for cultivation,” he said.

Kumar added that experts had already identified suitable varieties and are ready to train farmers to cultivate bamboo. Under the National Bamboo Mission, the Centre has allocated a budget of Rs 1.3 crore for the first phase.

“The mission may not give immediate relief to the farmers but in the longer run, it will give support and relief measures like other forestry projects,” claimed Kumar.