National Bamboo Mission (NBM)
राष्ट्रीय बांस मिशन (एनबीएम)
A restructured Centrally Sponsored Scheme, now run as the bamboo component of MIDH, that funds nurseries, farmer plantation subsidy, treatment/processing units and market infrastructure — the Centre covers 60% of the cost generally and 90% in the North-East, alongside a direct subsidy covering roughly half a farmer's own planting cost.
- States/UTs covered
- 24 (as of 2025)
- Restructured NBM approved
- 25 April 2018 (CCEA)
- Funding pattern
- 60:40 Centre:State (90:10 NE & Hilly)
- Farmer plantation subsidy
- ~50% of ₹1 lakh/hectare
- NE States bonus
- +10% additional assistance
- Component of
- MIDH (under Krishonnati Yojana)
- Nurseries established (to Dec 2024)
- 408 (14 accredited)
- Area planted (to Dec 2024)
- 60,000 hectares (non-forest)
Quick Summary
The key points from this page in about two minutes — read it or have it read aloud.
Quick Summary
National Bamboo Mission exists because India buys in much of the bamboo its own agarbatti, furniture, paper and construction industries need, even though the country has some of the best bamboo-growing land anywhere. Restructured in 2018 and now run as a component of the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), the Mission pays a State's own Bamboo Mission and its district agencies to help farmers plant bamboo on their fields, on community land or on wasteland, and then funds the treatment plants, processing units and market yards that turn a harvested pole into something an industry will actually buy — so bamboo doesn't just get grown, it gets seasoned, worked into a product, and sold through an organised market instead of a roadside cart.
Government agencies planting on public or community land get their costs fully covered; a private farmer or entrepreneur gets roughly half the planting cost back as a subsidy, released in instalments as the plantation establishes itself over three years, with an extra top-up in the North-East, where the Mission treats bamboo as a priority crop and shares a larger portion of the cost itself. A change in forest law a few years ago also means bamboo grown outside a notified forest is no longer legally a "tree" — so a farmer doesn't need a felling or transport permit to harvest and sell what they've planted. There is no central online form to fill: a State's own Bamboo Mission and its District Level Agency decide, against that year's State Annual Action Plan, which plantations, nurseries and processing units get support. The page ahead carries the exact subsidy rates, funding shares, area covered so far, and the list of States currently part of the Mission.
Overview
The National Bamboo Mission was first launched in 2006-07 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture, and ran until it was folded into the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) for maintenance-only funding from 2014-15. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved a Restructured National Bamboo Mission on 25 April 2018, relaunching it for 2018-19 onward with a ₹1,290 crore outlay (₹950 crore Central share) for the remaining years of the 14th Finance Commission period, aimed squarely at closing the gap between India's bamboo-growing potential and the raw material its own agarbatti, furniture, paper and construction industries were instead importing.
The restructured Mission funds the entire chain from planting to market: hi-tech, big and small nurseries to raise planting stock; block and boundary plantation on farmers' own land as well as high-density plantation on government, panchayat and community land; bamboo treatment and seasoning plants and carbonisation units; processing and product-development units for furniture, agarbatti sticks, bamboo shoots, jewellery, fabric and bamboo board; and market infrastructure — depots, bamboo mandis with e-trading, rural haats and retail bazaars. Since 2022-23, the Mission has been administered as a bamboo-specific component within MIDH, while keeping its own guidelines, funding rates and State Bamboo Mission delivery structure; MIDH itself now sits inside the Krishonnati Yojana umbrella, alongside PM-RKVY, after the Cabinet's October 2024 rationalisation of central agriculture schemes.
Implementation runs through a three-tier structure — a National Bamboo Mission Cell, a State Bamboo Mission headed by a State Mission Director under the State's Chief Secretary, and a District Level Agency that brings in Agriculture, Horticulture, Forest, Rural Development, Cooperative and Industries officials along with SHGs and NGOs. The District Level Agency identifies farmers, FPOs, cooperatives and entrepreneurs, appraises their proposals, and forwards them to the State Bamboo Mission, which actually selects beneficiaries and releases assistance — there is no separate national portal a farmer applies to directly. A 2017 amendment to the Indian Forest Act, 1927 also removed bamboo from the legal definition of a "tree" when grown outside notified forest land, so a farmer no longer needs a felling or transit permit to harvest bamboo grown on their own field.
Scheme highlights
A subsidy that follows the plantation, not a one-time cheque
A private farmer's plantation subsidy is released in three instalments — roughly 50%, 30% and 20% — over three years, tracking the plantation as it actually establishes, rather than paid upfront as a lump sum.
Bamboo stopped being legally a "tree" in 2017
A 2017 amendment to the Indian Forest Act, 1927 removed bamboo grown outside notified forest land from the legal definition of a tree — so a farmer harvesting their own planted bamboo needs no felling or transit permit.
Funds the whole chain, not just planting
Alongside nurseries and plantation, the Mission funds treatment and seasoning plants, processing units for furniture, agarbatti and bamboo board, and market infrastructure — so a harvested pole has somewhere to go.
The North-East gets a deliberately larger share
Funding runs 90:10 Centre:State in North-Eastern and Himalayan States against 60:40 elsewhere, with a further 10% (up to 33% for market infrastructure) added to the private-sector assistance rate specifically for NE applicants.
Cooperatives borrow through NCDC, not the Mission directly
A cooperative's share of central funding is routed through the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), which also lends States money to cover their own matching share for the cooperative sector.
A real success story: Gadchiroli's agarbatti centres
The State Bamboo Mission-backed Gadchiroli Agarbatti Project in Maharashtra now runs 32 centres employing over 1,100 people — nine in ten of them women — earning a steady income making incense sticks from local bamboo.
What you get
Direct cash support for planting, not just advice
A private farmer planting bamboo on their own field gets a per-hectare subsidy covering roughly half the cost, released as the plantation grows — not merely technical guidance.
Government and community land fully funded
Panchayats, State agencies and community bodies planting bamboo on public or community land get their nursery and plantation costs covered in full, with no matching contribution required.
Infrastructure a lone farmer could never build alone
Treatment plants, common facility centres, bamboo mandis and rural haats are funded so a farmer's harvested bamboo can be seasoned, processed and sold through an organised market rather than left to rot unsold.
Market linkage built in
The Mission steers bamboo growers and processors toward e-NAM for online trading, alongside integration with PMKSY-covered irrigated land for planting, rather than leaving market access to chance.
Who is eligible
Both lists come from the notified operational guidelines — meeting the left column is not enough if anything in the right column applies to your family.
You qualify if
- You are a farmer or private landholder in one of the Mission's 24 covered States/UTs, planting bamboo on your own or leased non-forest land
- You are a Government agency, Panchayat, or community body planting bamboo on public or community land
- You are an entrepreneur, MSME, FPO, cooperative, or Self-Help Group setting up a bamboo nursery, treatment plant, processing unit, or market facility
- You are willing to route your proposal through your State Bamboo Mission and District Level Agency, as part of that year's State Annual Action Plan
Excluded — even with land
- Expecting a central online application portal — NBM has no PM-KISAN-style self-service form; your State Bamboo Mission and District Level Agency select beneficiaries
- Living in a State/UT that has not included NBM in its current Annual Action Plan
- Wanting subsidy on block or boundary plantation beyond 4 hectares — no subsidy applies above that area at the private-sector rate
- Expecting a dedicated NBM national helpline — support runs through your State's Agriculture or Forest department, not a central call centre
Where this scheme applies
A central scheme with pan-India coverage — open to eligible farmers in every State and Union Territory.
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — the online form takes ten minutes when nothing is missing.
Aadhaar card
Used for beneficiary identification when the District Level Agency and State Bamboo Mission finalise your proposal.
Land record
Khasra/khatauni or a lease document confirming the plantation or unit sits on non-forest land, within a State-notified NBM area.
Bank passbook
Needed for the back-ended subsidy to reach your account once the plantation or unit is verified against the release schedule.
How to apply, step by step
The same six steps apply whether you register yourself online or sit down at a CSC.
- 1
State prepares its Annual Action Plan
The State's Agriculture or Forest department, through its State Bamboo Mission, proposes which nurseries, plantations and units to fund that year, for Executive Committee approval.
- 2
District Level Agency identifies beneficiaries
District officials, along with cooperatives, SHGs and NGOs, compile and appraise proposals from farmers, FPOs and entrepreneurs, and forward them to the State Bamboo Mission.
- 3
State Bamboo Mission selects and sanctions
The State Bamboo Mission, headed by a State Mission Director, actually selects beneficiaries and sanctions assistance against the indicative unit costs.
- 4
Planting or construction goes ahead
The farmer plants bamboo, or the entrepreneur sets up the treatment, processing or market unit, largely financed through a bank loan against the promised subsidy.
- 5
Back-ended subsidy is released in instalments
For plantation, roughly 50%, 30% and 20% of the subsidy is released across three years as the plantation is verified; other components release against project-cost verification.
- 6
Produce moves through Mission-funded infrastructure
Harvested bamboo passes through Mission-funded treatment plants, processing units and market yards — including e-NAM listing — rather than being sold informally.
Important dates
Original NBM launched
2006-07
Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture; folded into MIDH for maintenance-only funding from 2014-15
Forest law amended
2017
Indian Forest Act, 1927 amended to remove bamboo grown outside notified forest land from the legal definition of a "tree"
Restructured NBM approved
25 April 2018
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved relaunch with a ₹1,290 crore outlay (₹950 crore Central share) for 2018-19 & 2019-20
Merged administratively into MIDH
2022-23
NBM continues under its own guidelines but is now run as MIDH's bamboo component, itself part of the Krishonnati Yojana umbrella
Facts last checked
2 September 2026
Against the NBM Revised Operational Guidelines (nbm.da.gov.in), PIB coverage of the 2018 CCEA approval and the Ministry's own 2024-25 Annual Report financial-progress data, and a February 2025 Lok Sabha reply on funding pattern and objectives
Check your eligibility
Straight from the notified criteria. Nothing you enter leaves your phone.
0 of 4 answered
This checker applies the criteria in the official operational guidelines, but it is guidance — only the state government’s verification against the land records is final.
Downloads
Official documents only — everything below is hosted on the government's own servers.
Official links & helpline
Bookmark the portal itself — no third-party site can release, block or speed up a payment.
- Official National Bamboo Mission portalnbm.da.gov.in — guidelines, success stories and State Bamboo Mission contacts
- Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulturemidh.gov.in — NBM's parent scheme since the 2022-23 administrative merger
- PIB — Cabinet approves restructured NBMThe 25 April 2018 Cabinet approval announcing the restructured Mission
- Kisan Call CentreToll-free 1800-180-1551 — for NBM and other farm-scheme queries; NBM has no separate dedicated helpline
Helpline
24×7 IVRS and help desk, run by the ministry — the call is the fastest way to check a stuck payment.
Frequently asked questions
What does the National Bamboo Mission actually fund?
Nurseries, bamboo plantation on non-forest land, treatment and seasoning plants, processing and product-development units for furniture, agarbatti, jewellery and more, and market infrastructure such as bamboo mandis, depots, rural haats and retail bazaars.
How much subsidy does a farmer get for planting bamboo?
A private farmer planting on their own field gets roughly half of the ₹1 lakh/hectare cost as a subsidy, released across three years as the plantation establishes; Government agencies planting on public land get the full cost covered.
Is the funding different in the North-East?
Yes — 90:10 Centre:State against 60:40 elsewhere, plus an extra 10% (up to 33% for market infrastructure) added to the private-sector assistance rate specifically for North-Eastern and Himalayan States.
How does a farmer actually apply?
There is no central online form. A farmer's proposal goes through the District Level Agency to the State Bamboo Mission, which selects beneficiaries and releases assistance against that year's State Annual Action Plan.
Which States does NBM currently cover?
The Mission is currently implemented in 24 States/UTs, with the North-Eastern States treated as the top priority, alongside Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Can entrepreneurs and FPOs get support, or only farmers?
Both. Alongside individual farmers, the Mission funds entrepreneurs, MSMEs, FPOs, cooperatives and Self-Help Groups setting up nurseries, treatment plants, processing units or market facilities — cooperative-sector funding is routed through NCDC.
Do I need a permit to cut bamboo I've planted myself?
No. Since a 2017 amendment to the Indian Forest Act, 1927, bamboo grown outside notified forest land is no longer legally classed as a tree, so no felling or transit permit is required.
Is NBM a separate scheme today, or part of something else?
It keeps its own name and guidelines, but has been administered as a bamboo-specific component within MIDH since 2022-23; MIDH itself sits inside the Krishonnati Yojana umbrella alongside PM-RKVY.
What has the Mission achieved so far?
As of 31 December 2024: 408 nurseries (14 accredited), 60,000 hectares planted under non-forest bamboo, 104 treatment and preservation units, 528 product-development and processing units, and 130 market-infrastructure facilities.
Is there a helpline for NBM?
NBM has no separate dedicated toll-free number; the general Kisan Call Centre (1800-180-1551) can direct queries, but the actual point of contact is your State's Agriculture or Forest department running the State Bamboo Mission.
Still have questions?
The FAQs above cover the common ones. For anything about your specific application, the ministry helpline 1800-180-1551 is the authoritative answer — and we are happy to point you in the right direction.