Tripura’s trademark bamboo bottle gets tech boost

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<strong>Tripura has drawn huge appreciation from across the country for its unique 'bamboo bottle'.</strong></p>
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Designed and developed in Bamboo and Cane Development Institute (BCDI) at the behest of North East Center for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR), the product turned out to be one of the biggest hits for the North Eastern State as its clean finish and eye-catching looks generated huge demand in the market.</p>
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The overwhelming demand for the product led the BCDI to devise technological innovation to fast track production and improve its quality. Apart from that, due to the aggressive marketing carried out at different levels by the state government as well as NECTAR and BCDI, central agencies like Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR) are placing demands for their official use.</p>
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BCDI, Tripura head Abhinav Kant said, "When we first developed the Bamboo Bottle it was hundred per cent hand-made. What we have seen later is that the production process needs to be streamlined. Accordingly, we have developed some machines and processes that enhanced the productivity as well as the finish of the final product".</p>
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Right now, he said, there are three registered designs in the name of Tripura and gradually the market for the product is widening. "We are consistently imparting training to the unemployed youth, women on making the bottle so that they can tap on the immense possibilities that this product has. We are even getting queries from abroad regarding the finished product. So, in a nutshell, we can say with the incorporation of technology we are trying to overhaul the production so that growing demand of the product can be fulfilled in time and due diligence", said Kant.</p>
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He also informed that Central government agencies like ICAR, ISRO etc are also placing demands for their internal use of the product.</p>
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"After the first prototype was brought out, NECTAR did aggressive marketing of the product. Several agencies wrote letters so that they purchase the bottle for their official use. Now, these letters are bringing good returns. Demands are pouring in from several agencies like ICAR. We are also trying to improve our production by involving local artisans. We are pondering how to disseminate processed bamboo and the interior material among the artisans with the task of assembling it into the bottle", Kant added.</p>
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The Bamboo bottle was launched in the month of January 2020. The bottle was manufactured by fixing steel or copper bottles inside the treated bamboo pipes of cylindrical shape. Due to no direct contact between the bamboo surface and the water or other liquid material stored inside it, chances of contamination get wiped out.</p>
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