The Chinese team comprising five entrepreneurs said Assam and the North East have had tremendous potential in the bamboo sector, which if harnessed properly, would help to usher in a revolution in the rural areas as it had done in China.

“The climatic condition in the bordering areas between North East India and China is the same which favours largescale production of bamboo,” Prof. Qisheng said.

Rating the quality of bamboo produced in Assam as ‘very good’, the Chinese technocrat said in fact the produce of Assam was more sturdy and of better fibre.

Assam produces three lakh tonnes of as many as 34 species of bamboo per annum which is 16 per cent of the country’s total produce, two-thirds of which is exported to other States.

Interacting with the Chinese delegation, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said bamboo was an inseparable part of the daily life and culture of the people.

“Bamboo grows naturally in the backyard of every rural home and a revolution in this sector with the help of Chinese technology will bolster the rural economy,” he said.

Felicitating the Chinese team with traditional japis (hat), gamosas (handwoven scarfs) on the occasion of Rongali Bihu, the Assamese New Year, the Chief Minister assured all possible cooperation of the Government for setting up joint ventures with China. “There is immense economic possibility in the bamboo sector given the ever-growing demand for furniture and other decorative products. And the Chinese technology being the best in the world will go a long way in ushering a green revolution in the State,” he said.

The Chinese delegation also interacted with local entrepreneurs to explore the possibilities for joint venture in bamboo production.

The delegation also visited the Jagiroad paper mill of the Hindustan Paper Corporation and a tissue culture laboratory there to get first-hand information about the quality of bamboo produced in the State.