Newmai News Network
Kohima | December 22
After the success of the Nagaland government’s declaration of Year of Youth Empowerment, Year of Women Empowerment and the ongoing Year of Capacity Building 2008-2009, the government of Nagaland is considering declaring the year 2010 as ‘Year of Plantation’ wherein the state forest department will carry out plantation in 50,000 hectares of land, with the main focus on bamboo plantations.
According to reports, Nagaland’s minister for Forest & Environment, Wildlife and Excise, M C Konyak, in a specific agenda submitted to the National Bamboo Mission (NBM) during the recently held National Conference on ‘Bamboo Cultivation and Value Addition’ at Agartala, had dwelt at length on the issue and proposed a plantation estimated to cost about 150 crore rupees. He also sought the support and funding from the National Bamboo Mission.
He was reported to have also pointed out that since the Tuli Paper Mill was going to be commissioned and resume production from 2009 onwards, the mill would require about 3.5 lakh metric tonnes of dry weight bamboo per annum, besides other upcoming bamboo industries in the area, which would require massive investment for plantation.
The minister also conveyed the willingness of the state to tie up with China for importing technologies on bamboo development and better heavy machineries. Seeking support and assistance from the NBM, Konyak urged the mission to allot funds in a generous manner. He also requested the NBM to ensure that bamboo resources development was entrusted to a “competent” department (Forest) for better results and to discourage the system of channelling funds through multi-department, for effective control of fund flow, plantation success and outcome monitoring.
Further, the minister mooted the idea of relaxation of entry fee on inter-state bamboo transit, encouraging cluster bamboo cottage industry centres for cooperative marketing and transportation, sending of entrepreneurs to China for training in skill upgradation, providing adequate grant and soft loans to entrepreneurs for establishing large industries under bamboo sector and replacing gregarious flowering species of bamboo with superior species. He also revealed that the state Forest department had already planted bamboo in 640 hectares in Tuli area and was contemplating carrying out the plantation in 94,000 hectares of government purchased land.
He also disclosed that during 2009, the department would focus on strengthening and setting up of nurseries to declare 2010 as the Year of Plantation. In this regard, the department has been contemplating bringing in bamboo experts from outside the State and abroad for comprehensive study and to conduct seminars and workshops, the minister added.
