Bamboo farmers and self-help groups from Karbi Anglong and other districts of Asom attended a training programme on bamboo cultivation and management held at the Deovan-based Rain Forest Research Institute (RFRI) near Sotai on Monday. RFRI scientists and other experts delivered talks on bamboo nursery and propagation, commercial cultivation, management and utilization of bamboo, agro-forestry and application of bio-fertilizers and vermicompost for productivity enhancement. There were also talks on pests and diseases of bamboo, post-harvest preservation and characteristics for identification of bamboo species. A practical session involving field visits to the experimental areas was also held. It may be mentioned here that the northeastern States account for about 65 per cent of the total bamboo production in the country. Asom has a total area of 8,213 square kilometres under bamboo cultivation.