Mumbai: Maharashtra will showcase its bamboo industry policy to investors, industrial buyers and technology companies at the Bamboo Economy and Sustainability Summit 2026 in Mumbai on September 27, reported Outlook Business.
The one-day summit, to be held at The Westin Mumbai Powai Lake, will focus on the role of bamboo in construction, energy, commerce, climate action and rural livelihoods. It is being organised jointly by Phoenix Foundation, Lodga in Latur district, MITRA (Government of Maharashtra) and Tefla’s, the Mumbai company that runs Globoil India and the Bharat Ethanol Forum.
State Governor Jishnu Dev Varma and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis including Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagde are listed to attend the inaugural session, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Ajit Pawar. Ministers handling agriculture, forest and industries are also expected to participate.
The summit comes after the Maharashtra Cabinet approved the Bamboo Industry Policy 2025 in October last year. The policy targets Rs 50,000 crore in investment, more than five lakh jobs and 15 bamboo industrial clusters across the state.
Among the measures outlined in the policy are a Rs 300 crore venture fund, a Rs 4,271 crore project backed by the Asian Development Bank and a requirement for thermal power plants to substitute 5-7% of coal with bamboo biomass. Farmers cultivating bamboo are eligible for a subsidy of Rs 7.04 lakh per hectare.
The summit has been initiated by Pasha Patel, chairman of the Maharashtra State Agricultural Price Commission and executive chairman of the Chief Minister’s Task Force on Environment and Sustainable Development.
Patel has promoted bamboo as a crop with potential applications across multiple sectors, including construction, fuel and carbon markets. He said the summit would provide a platform to connect the state’s bamboo policy with potential investors.
The programme will feature seven sessions under “India’s Bamboo Vision 2047”, covering areas such as construction, biomass energy, carbon credits, farm income and rural employment.
The event will also include an investment forum, bamboo exhibition and Bamboo Excellence Awards. The programme is expected to feature representatives from the Union government, NITI Aayog, the National Bamboo Mission, Asian Development Bank, UNDP and FAO, besides industry executives, architects and international bamboo experts.
The summit will conclude with a CEO dialogue and policy roundtable, where organisers plan to adopt a “Mumbai Declaration on Bamboo Economy.”
For Maharashtra, the push is aimed at expanding the economic use of bamboo, particularly on land with limited agricultural productivity. Organisers see potential demand from construction, power and paper industries, while also positioning bamboo as a source of rural income and carbon-related opportunities.
Phoenix Foundation Sanstha, based in Latur, was established in 2008 under Patel’s chairmanship and works with farmers, rural youth and drought-affected communities across Marathwada.
