The Forest department of the State has undertaken an ambitious project of bamboo plantation to strengthen the economic foundation of the State. Talking to mediapersons recently at Nagaon, Rockybul Hussain, Forest Minister told that his department would plant bamboo on 2000 hectares of land around Guwahati through the Bamboo Mission. He also disclosed that to make bamboo-based industry popular, two bamboo museums would be opened, one each at Nagaon and Guwahati. The Minister further disclosed that a team of experts from China would visit Assam to study the prospects of bamboo-based industry in the State. China produces about 60 pc while India produces only 20 pc bamboo of the world and the former earns more than 20,000 crore rupees per year from bamboo production while the latter only 3000 crore, Hussain told toilet soaps, floor tiles, socks etc made from bamboo and bamboo products, are now widely used in China for daily purposes, he said. Hussain disclosed that a herbal park on 5 hectare land would soon be set up at Bajiagaon where all varieties of medicinal plants would be grown.