Odisha's Bamboo Initiative to Uplift 1 Lakh Women Farmers: Deputy CM Pravati Parida

By: WE staff | Wednesday, 23 April 2025

• Bamboo cultivation for the benefit of 1 lakh women farmers of Odisha, announced Deputy CM Pravati Parida
• The state government made the announcement on the eve of inauguration

Bamboo cultivation will prove to be a useful instrument in enabling and empowering Odisha's one lakh women farmers, said Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Tuesday. Delivering a speech on the inaugural ceremony of a two-day Odisha state-level workshop on bamboo cultivation and livelihood, Parida stressed the growing demand for bamboo products in Odisha.

The workshop, she further stated, was being convened to open new opportunities in the bamboo sector for women under the "Lakhpati Didi" scheme—ranging from cultivation to entrepreneurship. She said that each village of Odisha today boasts of a "Lakhpati Didi," a woman who earns a sustainable income from government-supported schemes.

The Deputy CM congratulated the Odisha Livelihood Mission and the concerned departments on their relentless work in making it possible for the state to drive the nation forward in the adoption of the Lakhpati Didi scheme. Pravati also explained that such workshops are crucial in transferring to women entrepreneurs those capabilities and skills that allow them to manage income-generating activities like bamboo entrepreneurship effectively.

The workshop brought together the highest-ranking officials from the Mission Shakti Department, Odisha Livelihood Mission, industry stakeholders, master trainers, and national partner organizations like the Industry Foundation.

During the two days, the delegates engaged in technical sessions on bamboo planting methods, intercropping, value addition, product innovation, pricing, marketing, and export market exploration. Training also included inputs on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, monetization of carbon credits, and connectivity to large government programs such as MGNREGS and the National Bamboo Mission.

District Programme Managers, District Project Coordinators, Livelihood Specialists, and Cluster Level Trainers from each district of Odisha attended the training session.