Bamboo has resurfaced as a valuable raw material as an inexpensive substitute for wood and a variety of value added products for engineered composites. Being a fast growing material available in the tropics, its real value was not realized until recently. Property evaluation studies and efforts to develop processing methods were initiated in the bamboo growing countries in the nineteenth century. Being available almost free its use was limited to handicrafts, paper and low cost housing in rural and tribal areas around the world. These areas having very little access to the developed world developed their own tradition methods to use bamboo for different application. Shortage of wood helped in rediscovery of bamboo. With its recognition as a wonderful material having fastest growth rates, many bamboo-growing nations have chalked out ambitious plans to promote its utilization and raise plantations to relieve pressure on forests. Government of India has initiated an elaborate program to promote bamboo. National Mission on Bamboo Applications an initiative of the Department of Science &Technology, Government of India plans to establish 10 common facility cum training centers in bamboo rich states to realize real value from this versatile material, neglected so far. This paper is intended to bring out the developments featuring processing of bamboo and its utilization in the first half of the 20th century. An update covering the later half of the 20th century will be covered later.

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