Standing tall

An ambitious Rs 13 crore project is set to double the bamboo coverage in five years in Himachal Pradesh

For a humble grass, bamboo has played a big role in sustaining livelihoods across the world. In Himachal Pradesh8217;s poverty belt, it was the mainstay of the economy before the shrinking bamboo farms forced the people into alternative vocations. Now, the state is waking up to its potential and launching a fresh initiative to boost its plantation. A Rs 13.34 crore project under the central National Bamboo Mission, it will not only aim at doubling the state8217;s bamboo coverage within five years, but also encourage manufacture of bamboo-based products to provide employment in rural, non-fruit growing areas, the mid-hill districts.

8220;A well-crafted strategy has been put in place to increase bamboo plantation and involve the community in its implementation,8221; says Pankaj Khullar, state principal chief conservator of forests, of the well-researched project on bamboo rejuvenation.

So a state-level bamboo steering committee, headed by Principal Secretary Forests Ashok Thakur, has been formed to oversee the implementation of the project which is likely to take off during the coming monsoon.

In the first step, the Forest Department will take up decongestion of the existing bamboo plantation, covering nearly 6,000 hectares. This will help in faster and better growth of bamboos. New nurseries for producing better quality of plants and new technologies like tissue culture will be used and plantation will be done in additional 3,000 hectares. While Rs 4.5 crore will be spent on raising nurseries, Rs 1.2 crore will be used to decongest the forests.

Abundant in Sirmaur, Solan, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Kangra, bamboo currently covers nearly 10,600 hectares, including farm lands and forest areas, and helps curb eco-degradation. 8220;Neglect and lack of intervention by official agencies has resulted in the shrinking of areas under bamboo cultivation,8221; says S.D. Bhardwaj, dean, Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan.

Other reasons for the plant8217;s depletion included flowering8212;a unique feature which kills the plant and requires intervention and revival8212;and the non-availability of good quality saplings.

Now, the Forestry University has identified eight species of bamboo which can be successfully grown and nurtured by the locals. These include Arundinaria falcate Drepanostachyum falcatum, Arundinaria Spathiflora Thamnocalamus spathiflorus, Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, Dendrocalamus strictus, Bambusa nutans, Dendrocalamus Parshi popular in Hamirpur and parts of Kangra, Bambusa Natutans and Bambus Bamboo.

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This is not the first time that bamboo has been the focus of revival in the state. In 1994, under the Indo-German Changar Eco-Development Project, an attempt was made to use bamboo as a source of income generation for rural families in Kangra district. The experiment has been successful in parts of the district, where women groups are already producing a wide variety of bamboo products like mats, bags, fans and baskets.

8220;A similar effort in other areas can go a long way in solving the unemployment problem once marketing tie-ups are done,8221; says Surinder Kumar, a conservator of forests projects. While the Himachal Pradesh Handloom and Handicraft Corporation is currently the only outlet, the project envisages involving NGOs and self-help groups.