The Kerala State Bamboo Corporation has diversified into making new products, including environment-friendly habitation for tourists.
It also hoped to provide bamboo-based furniture for educational institutions. Its hallmark product is the new fire-and-water-resistant plywood. Industries Minister A.C. Moideen said a 6x4 board with 4 mm thickness would cost ₹750 plus GST. The product has been competitively priced to give it a head start in the aggressive market.
Mr Moideen said the corporation had been ailing for long. It assisted bamboo cane collectors who worked in hazardous forest conditions to gather the raw material. Most of them were from marginalised sections.
They included forest tribes. They were traditional makers of bamboo-based products. The government hoped the corporation would register a nominal profit in 2018-19.
