The Bapuji Institute of Engineering and Technology’s (BIET) quest to develop a bamboo fibre production unit has been boosted with Bamboo Society of India (BSI), Bengaluru, and Indore’s Bamboo Mission of India (BMI) deciding to fund the research.

Currently, China is the leading producer of bamboo fibre and supplies to most of the countries. In India, there are no bamboo fibre manufacturers.

Bamboo fibres with their anti-bacterial and UV (ultra violet) resistant properties, can be of great use in medical applications. The bamboo fibres can also be used in energy sector, Prof KS Murugesh Babu, the head of the textiles department at the Davanagere-based BIET said.

The department has been carrying out research on bamboo fibres for the last few years under the guidance of Prof Babu and Prof S Chandrashekhar, a faculty of the department.

Prof Babu said, the department presented its works in textile fibres at a recent conference held at Wood Research Institute, Benglauru and also at the Global Bamboo Summit at Indore.