Gauhati: A bamboo bicycle, a new idea for local manufacturing, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma taking the first ride himself. On Gandhi Jayanti, Assam introduced its new ‘Assam Bamboo Bicycle’, putting one of the state’s most abundant natural resources to a very practical test.
Sarma launched the bicycle in Guwahati and rode it himself, drawing attention to an initiative that aims to turn Assam’s locally sourced bamboo into a modern consumer product while creating new opportunities for the state’s bamboo-based economy.
The bicycle has a frame made entirely from bamboo sourced in Assam and has received certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). It is being manufactured at the Bamboo Technology Park in Chhaygaon in partnership with Pune-based Bamboo India.
The Rs 15-crore project is expected to create 50 to 100 direct jobs in its first phase, with a target production capacity of around 1,000 bicycles a month. Bamboo sourced from different parts of Assam will support the wider production chain, from harvesting and processing to manufacturing and assembly.
But the bicycle will first have to pass a test that no certification can fully replace: how people actually find it to ride.
The state plans to place the bicycles in parks across Guwahati, allowing residents to use them and share feedback on their design, comfort and performance before the product is taken forward commercially.
For Assam, the bicycle is also part of a larger effort to expand the use of bamboo beyond traditional applications. Sarma has highlighted the material’s potential for more than 800 products, including applications in construction, reinforced structures and industrial sectors.
He has also credited the policy change under the Narendra Modi government that classified bamboo as grass rather than a tree, saying it opened up greater possibilities for bamboo cultivation, processing and industrial use.
What makes the bicycle project notable is that the idea does not stop at showcasing bamboo. It attempts to build an entire local value chain around it, with the potential to connect bamboo growers and processors with manufacturing and new employment opportunities.
And before Assam’s bamboo bicycle reaches a wider market, Guwahati’s parks will become its first real testing ground, with the public getting a chance to decide how well the idea works on the road.
Wanna know what I'm riding? It's a Bamboo Bicycle- where the structure is made entirely out of bamboo and certified by BIS.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 2, 2026
In the next few days, we will make it available in parks across Guwahati for people to ride it and share their feedback on the product before its launch. pic.twitter.com/5tfmhOOvrr
BI Bureau
