ASSAM’S TEA GARDENS & BAMBOO-BASED 2G BIOETHANOL

NEWS: Assam’s tea gardens are starting to cultivate bamboo on part of their land to supply raw material (feedstock) for a 2G (Second Generation) bioethanol plant at Numaligarh, Assam.

2G Bioethanol

First Generation (1G) Ethanol:

• Made from food crops like sugarcane, maize
• Uses fermentation
• Creates food vs fuel debate

Second Generation (2G) Ethanol:

• Made from non-food biomass like: Bamboo, crop residue, agricultural waste
• More sustainable
• Lower carbon footprint

Bamboo is Being Used Instead of Only Tea

• In 2022àThe government tweaked the Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holding Act, 1956
• Tea gardens are now allowed to use up to 5% of land for non-tea purposes.
• This opened the way for: Bamboo cultivation, tourism, horticulture

Production Capacity & Supply Chain

• Annual requirement: 5 lakh metric tonnes of green bamboo
• Ethanol production: ~49,000 metric tonnes per year
• By-products: Furfural, acetic acid, liquid CO₂, bio-coal, 25 MW captive power generation

Role of Farmers & Northeast Region

• 4,200+ bamboo farmers registered
• 30,000 bamboo farmers across: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland

Environmental Benefits:

• Bamboo = fast-growing carbon sink
• Lower emissions than fossil fuels
• Waste-to-energy model
• Supports India’s Net Zero target (2070)

Economic Benefits:

• Boost to tea estates’ income
• Employment generation
• Biofuel industry growth
• Import reduction of crude oil

Policy & Governance Linkages

• National Biofuel Policy (2018, amended 2022)
• Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP – target 20%)
• Act East Policy (NE development)
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7 & 13)
• Circular Economy
• Climate-resilient agriculture