Bamboo is NOT a Tree!

BAMBOO IS NOT A TREE!

Dear Honble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh,
Hon'ble Minister of State Shri Jairam Ramesh, Ministry of Environment and Forests Hon'ble Union Minister Shri Sharad Pawar, Ministry of Agriculture

The Indian Forest Act (1927) classifies bamboo, now a scientifically recognised grass, as a tree. It is a blunder and a very costly one. With 1500 documented uses, bamboo is the most useful renewable resource. India has the largest proportion of area under bamboo cultivation and if managed well bamboo could become a steady and sustainable source of livelihood for millions of tribals and rural habitants, it could reduce use of timber and save our forests, and help build peace and prosperity in our volatile North East region.

Sustainable Livelihood: The Planning Commission estimates that bamboo could provide employment to nearly 50 million people, particularly the poorest forest-dependent communities. The productivity per hectare in India is one-fifth of that in China and the annual turnover of the bamboo sector in China is 12 times that of India.

Environmental Benefits: It releases more oxygen than an equivalent strand of trees, absorbs high intensity radiation, prevents soil erosion and can be used as a green fuel. According to the ASSOCHAM, if just the government of India substitutes bamboo for the wood products it purchases, it could save nearly Rupees 7,000 crore annually and help save our forests.

Development and Stability in the North East: More than 66\% of the total bamboo yield comes from our Northeastern states. The failure to utilise this resource properly has hit this region the hardest. In fact the Mizo insurgency was a direct result of the governments lackluster attitude to the problem of bamboo flowering.

Looking at all the available literature, the Centre for Civil Society study makes the following recommendations:

A) Amend the Indian Forest Act (1927) and remove bamboo from the list of trees under Section 2(7) of the Act

B) The Ministry of Environment and Forests should declare bamboo a grass, a horticulture crop, and as Non-Timber Forest Produce

C) Abolish all restrictions on bamboo grown on private lands

D) Declare the North-East as a Special Bamboo Zone

E) Create a Bamboo Board on the lines of Tea/ Coffee Board

The bamboo could be Indias Green Gold! Lets remove the hurdles of the forest laws which govern the harvest, trade, transport and use of bamboo.

Parth J Shah, President, Centre for Civil Society
www.jeevika.org, www.ccs.in, www.azadi.me