Khagendra N. Bora
India has the potential to be the largest bamboo growing country in the world. After sugarcane, bamboo is the best solar energy conservator in the nature and has a vastly lower need of water. Bamboo is a critical element in balancing the oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and it plays a very important role in conserving soil and water. Bamboo is eminently suitable for housing and general engineering because of its high strength, phenomenal flexibility and tubular anatomy. The products made by traditional artisan groups still continue to play a crucial role in the rural agro-industries of our country. But unfortunately most of India’s 20 lakh bamboo artisans have to suffer because of the scarcity of raw material. Since bamboo farming is ecologically sound, it is necessary to realize the immense economic potential of this amazing material, develop its utilization and propagation and to raise plantation of related bamboo species, particularly in denuded hills and degraded areas, over logged forest areas, banks of the rivers and tanks, road sides and marginal farm land covered under agro-forestry programmes.
North Eastern Region (NER) can boast of having the greatest concentration of bamboos and cane in the country that is 30% in terms of area coverage. In India, nearly 45 tonnes of bamboo are annually produced out of which 45% required for paper and pulp industry. The craft sector particularly that of the N.E. Region, which serves as a major means of rural women employment accounts for a yearly business of Rs. 15 billion thereby generating 250 million working days. Experts are of the opinion that with value addition in any area of bamboo utilization, the present rate of income may be doubled. A glance at the statistics would give an overview of the country’s bamboo scenario. (see table 1)
India has second largest reserve of bamboo occupying 9.6 million hectares of total forest area of 63.44 million hectares. The North East Region accounts for 54 per cent of the bamboo reserves of India. The total harvest of bamboo in NER has been assumed to be 6.45 million tonnes from non-forest areas and privately owned forestlands together.
Talking about the global picture, we find that bamboos are well represented over the globe barring Europe and Antarctica with major distribution lying along the equator and sub-tropical belt. South America and East Asia account for greatest concentration with distribution of woody bamboos extending right up to the temperate zones in both hemispheres from 460N latitude in Japan’s island of Sakhi to 47.50S latitude in South America. In comparison to Asia and South America, Africa is very poor in terms of Genera and species distribution, which is six and fourteen respectively. North America has one native species while Australia has four.
There are vast bamboo resources available in North East Region of India for commercial exploitation. Almost Rs.5000 crore worth of raw bamboo is available in this region. As per current estimate 25 per cent of raw material requirement of paper industry is currently met through bamboo.
The state of Mizoram has the highest bamboo area in the whole of North East Region covering nearly half of the total area. Each of the other NE States has sizable bamboo area, although the fact remains that judicious exploitation of this natural resource in terms of care and maintenance, sustainability of existing varieties, is almost non-existent. Even paper mapping of bamboo growing area, particularly these in unclassified forest, is not believed to have been properly made in the region. On top of this, callous destruction of wild and cultivable bamboos through out the region. Just to feed the paper mills and for other uses have been going on unabated with utter disregard to the husbandry aspects of this precious commodity. Therefore, the need of the hour is to restore a balance between better utilization of this resource on one side and conservation of the same on the other with an eye on ecological aspects. For this, we require to look at all issues concerning bamboo from a holistic angle since it is such a versatile forest product that provides a long series of utilizes from fuel to food. Consequent upon excessive felling of trees for timber and other purpose, bamboo emerges as a major alternative to growers and users. More than 1/3 of world population uses bamboo, which provides employment to 20 crores all along the tropics.
Ranking next to China in respect of diversity and species distributions India presently has about 136 species belonging to 22 genera. Out of these, as many as 15 genera with 63 species are found in NE Region in an area of 30500 sq.km. The share of Region’s growing stock in the country is 68%, Assam having 16.67% followed by Manipur with 14.25%, Mizoram with 13.54% and Arunachal Pradesh 12.24%.
Our region boasts of a huge bamboo surplus whose employment potential is still untapped. Mizoram has a surplus of 32 lakh tonnes. It is important to note the fact that bamboo is one of the fastest growing species having a wide range of versatility and has been used for thousands of years for shelter, making implements, crafts as well as for nutrition. As many as 1500 distinct uses of bamboo had been identified with the number increasing constantly as innovations across the globe find still newer uses. Some of the uses are grouped as follows:
i) Traditional uses – housing, fencing, leaves for fodder, agricultural implements etc.
ii) Aesthetic uses in the form of handicrafts, decorative materials etc.
iii) Industrial uses – making pulp for paper industry, composite boards, eco-friendly pipes for water supply etc.
iv) Other uses like preparation of beer, vinegar, charcoal etc.
Coming finally to Assam we find that the state has an area of 7660 sq.kms. Which is concentrated mainly in 6 districts. The largest concentration is found in Karbi Anglong district, followd by North Cachar Hills and rest of our districts. (see table 2)
From the foregoing table, we can find that in N E Region, man has co-existed with bamboos and bamboo-based occupation from time immemorial. Considering the abundance of this forest resource, experts surmise that, if fully utilized, without however being exploited, bamboos can sustain a major chunk of North East rural population for many more years to come. However, there is a wide gap between presence of bamboo reserves and pace and quality of their sustainable utilization. Economic exploitation will be possible only with the development of proper and appropriate technology, backed by scientific knowledge and technical skill of people and other forest dwellers over the resource. A commission has been recommended setting up of processing units within tribal areas with States’ Forest Deptt. acting as facilitator for creation of such facilities. The core idea is to enable farmers and practitioners of farm forestry from producing pulp upto providing raw material to artisans.
It is quite encouraging that to preserve the high quality species of bamboo in India, the National Mission of Bamboo Application (NMBA) recently undertook an ambitious scheme. A 10 hectare land inside the vast hilly campus of Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden in Guwahati has been selected as a part of this scheme. This scheme with a budget of Rs.28,60,000 will be completed in 3 years with the cooperation of Energy Research Institute of India. Out of this 10 hectare field, 7 hectares are earmarked for bamboo cultivation and the other 3 hectares are for two bamboo nurseries and for other essential facilities for bamboo cultivation.
Lastly, the concerned government departments along with the voluntary organisatinos (VO) working in rural areas should create an awareness among the people living around the vast bamboo bearing forest areas of this region to increase the bamboo production so that it, which is regarded as the poor man’s timber may generate their income and employment opportunities in future.
(PIB)
