Bamboo (culms and splits)

What it is

Fast-growing grass harvested as culms. It is split into slivers for baskets, mats and agarbatti sticks, and used whole for furniture, scaffolding, boards and pulp.

By species, e.g. Bambusa balcooa and Bambusa tulda (agarbatti sticks, handicrafts, pulp)By culm length, girth and ageTreated and untreated

Where India produces it

1. Madhya Pradesh

   Largest bamboo-bearing area: 20,421 km² (ISFR 2023).

2. Arunachal Pradesh

   18,424 km² bamboo-bearing area.

3. Maharashtra

   13,572 km² bamboo-bearing area.

4. Odisha

   12,328 km² bamboo-bearing area.

Where imports come from

India has 1,54,670 km² of bamboo-bearing area (ISFR 2023) but still imported plaiting materials worth US$ 80.68 million in 2025-26, mostly from China.

• China — US$ 74.31 million of imports under HS 1401 in 2025-26.
• Vietnam — US$ 4.29 million of imports under HS 1401 in 2025-26.

Rules before you buy or sell

• Bamboo charcoal: a March 2022 PIB release says its export was still 'prohibited' while other bamboo products were 'free'; check the current DGFT export policy.
• The National Bamboo Mission gives plantation and processing support through State Bamboo Missions.

Storage and handling

Season and treat culms against borers and fungus; store stacked off the ground, under shade.

Businesses that use it

Bamboo Furniture and Chairs →Bamboo Articles and Handicrafts →Bamboo Mat Board Making →Bamboo Sticks for Agarbatti →Bamboo Biomass Pellets →Bamboo Tree Guards →Cane Basket Making →Bamboo Flute (Bansuri) Making →