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Bamboo India – The enabled employment brand in the world of bamboo..!!

Bamboo India – The enabled employment brand in the world of bamboo..!!

Lead: 

There are many businesses which depend on farming or supplement farming.  It mainly includes businesses related to food, but there are also many other businesses related to it.  This is the story of one such business and the businessman…

Matter:

Bamboo is known as a plant being used in India in rural and urban areas for construction and day to day things.  Do you know that almost 1800 various high-quality products can be created from this bamboo?  Farmers are affected due to dry and wet drought.  We have not earned any income from farming, so why should we do farming?  Lakhs of farmers are trying to find an answer to this question.  This change is a natural phenomenon thought of a young boy, and four years back, he dreamt of a social business based on farming.

This young boy has worked not only in the Indian IT (Information Technology) industry but also in the European IT industry.  He wanted to start a business of his own.  Something which will be eternal, environment-friendly and through which he can give a new alternative to the society.  This boy took the risk of quitting a 2 lakh salaried job in London, he had 12 to 14 years (in India and abroad) of work experience in IT field, and now he founded the company called ‘Bamboo India’.

The company name itself says that it deals with bamboo.  After the change of power, people were busy with unemployment, GST and demonetization.  At this time Yogesh Shinde was busy planning for his business based on bamboo.  India is the second-largest producer of bamboo.  Shinde observed that the export of bamboo products in India was less than the underdeveloped countries.  India is promoting bamboo plantation.  The people and the Government, however, do not know what can be done with bamboo.  The alternative to plastic is wood or cloth, but why bamboo is not being considered as an alternative too, Yogesh Shinde thought. The use of bamboo is simple and at a reasonable cost.  That is how he started the production of daily use products made of bamboo.      

There is a lot of scope for this idea in a country like India.   You can bring the product to this enormous market and understand the potential.  If your product reaches the public properly, then your business is successful already.  This is the simple logic Yogesh Shinde has created for his business.

Bamboo India focused its attention on the production of 28 products around three years back when the company was formed.  Bamboo India products are manufactured in Talavde area in Pune.  This includes toothbrushes, earbuds, beard brushes, razors, wooden pens, combs, speakers, kitchen containers, and many other products.  A toothbrush is an essential thing for everyone.  Ideally, one should change the brush every three months.  The bamboo toothbrush lasts for a year, and so reputed companies around the world got attracted to this product.  This Indian toothbrush made of bamboo has carved its mark on Amazon where it is selling only for Rs. 60 to 80, whereas other brushes are being sold for Rs. 200.  The cost of this brush is slightly more than the plastic brush, but considering the environment value and durability, the price is justified.        

Capital is the foundation of any business.  If you have a clear objective and if others understand your hard work, then you face fewer problems, that is the positivity Yogesh Shinde bears in mind.  He started this business without any Government help and with the full support of family and friends.  He observed the strict rule of returning money to the money lenders.  Shinde mentioned that business could be done well with a strong will but also guidance and encouragement from people.  In Maharashtra, bamboo expert Hemant Bedekar, Shashishekhar Pathak, who makes bicycles from bamboo, Vinay Kolte of Bhor and also the institute called Cornback from Kudal are doing remarkable work in bamboo conservation.       

Our farmers do not like to venture out in something, which is non-traditional.  They are not aware that they can do something different in the fields.  The same is true for bamboo.  Shinde expresses his worry about the fact that Indian Government has not been able to take any concrete steps to make people understand what they can do with bamboo, even if the Government is encouraging people to plant bamboo.  A farmer can sell bamboo at Rs. 70 to Rs. 80.  If the farmers do the bamboo cutting, they will get Rs. 200 to Rs. 250 easily.         

Seven to eight thousand farmers within India provide bamboo to Bamboo India through the Farmers Producer Organization (FPO).  The farmers from North-East, Kolhapur, Nandurbar, Bhor are included in this.  Bamboo India has succeeded in making 15 Lakh toothbrushes per month, and this demand has risen to 15 crores from some international companies.  There is a lot of scope in the bamboo field; however, very few people are using this opportunity.  In addition to the 7 thousand farmers, 100 people are involved in the process of bamboo manufacturing.

Shinde gave an example of milk and ghee are being produced from milk, while explaining the value of bamboo.  The practical mathematics is: There is a difference in milk sold at Rs. 40 per litre and ghee sold at Rs. 2000 per Kilogram, the same is true for bamboo and bamboo products.

Narendra Modi is driving his political chariot with the slogan of ‘plastic-free India’.  He also finds the Bamboo India project very promising.  He feels that 100 more Bamboo India projects must be created in India.  Central Minister Nitin Gadkari has also praised this project and has expressed his wish to support such projects.  Still, it is seen that the Government is disinterested in bamboo products.  A person starting a bamboo business gets Rs. 50,000 as a loan from the Government of India startup plan.  The bamboo business is worth crores of rupees.  How will the people be encouraged to get into this business then?      

Many times, good ideas of businesses do not materialize due to lack of encouragement.  Shinde says that it is not enough to only organize programs at Government level; it is also essential to start a business.  Shinde himself has been actively trying for the growth of this business as a member of the Bamboo related Committee of the Maharashtra Government.     

The only objective of a bamboo-based business is not earning maximum income.  The thought behind it is to encourage bamboo business with more research.  Bamboo India has concentrated on research and quality production.  The main objective of Bamboo India is giving an alternative to plastic, open new doors of employment in the rural areas, to show that Indian products can be sent outside India with pride, and also take people close to nature.  Around eight years back, Yogesh Shinde went abroad for work, and now he goes abroad as a successful businessman.  He feels proud that a Marathi businessman is sending his products worldwide.  

Yogesh is confident that the bamboo products appreciated by Juhi Chawla, Shahrukh Khan, Dia Mirza and other celebrities will soon reach the common man too.  Yogesh Shinde is sure that Bamboo India will do a business of 100 crores till 2022.  He is eager to guide anyone who wants to accompany him on this journey.   The fresh graduates want a well-paid job immediately.  Some can think of setting up a business to earn quick money.  But the reality is different.  You have to work for someone first, understand the system, create your network, you have to decide what you want to do, and to what extent.  Only then can you survive in business.

I want to share from my experience that you must work a lot initially, see new places, go abroad – because this will help you in your future endeavours.  It takes 3 to 4 years for a thing from abroad to come to India.  If the youth is engrossed in things here, and it does not explore the world, it will never realize what is required by people in India and whether the youth is capable of offering it to the people here.        

You will have to give your one hundred per cent for any business that you decide to do.  You will have to try new ideas.  You will have to show patience and must have the courage to digest failure.  Some people will try to dupe you.  You will get a lot of negative advice.  Please stay away from such people and only then will you make progress in your business, this is the valuable philosophy that Yogesh Shinde shares with us.  

If you want to do something different, what are you waiting for? Please pick up the phone and contact us..!!

***

Originally Published in Yashashwi Udyojak. Subscribe Today.

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