Bureaucratic and institutional hurdles need to be removed to free Bamboo

New Delhi, 18 September 2012

World Bamboo Day Celebration, Bangalore - Sept 18 2012

Centre for Civil Society (CCS) in collaboration with South Asia Bamboo Foundation (SABF) celebrated World Bamboo Day today (Tuesday, Sept 18).The objective of this celebration was to ensure sustainable utilisation of natural resources, to promote new cultivation of bamboo for industries in India and to promote its traditional uses for community economic development. On this occasion CCS and SABFurged to reformbureaucratic and institutional hurdles in India and to remove Bamboo as 'tree' under forest laws. The Planning Commissionestimates that it could provide employment to nearly 50 million people, particularly among the poorest forest-dependent communities.

On this occasion Founder & Executive Director, South Asia Bamboo Foundation and Former President World Bamboo Organisation Mr. Kamesh Salam said, "the issue of bamboo being a grass and not a tree is the main cause for the lack of development of bamboo in the country.Thee Ministry of Environment and Forests is standing in the way of making the lives of millions of bamboo growers and tribals better by accessing bamboo.This policy change is immediately needed for the growth of bamboo country."

He further added, "While the legislative hurdles seem to have been cleared, bureaucratic and institutional hurdles need to be removed. Our efforts would now be towards the effective implementation of the objectives envisioned in the new and changed laws and policies."

Even the Kohima Declaration (read full here) which was passed on World Bamboo Day 2010 lays down specific measures which will help to realise a goal of a robust but equity-oriented bamboo industry in India" says Salam.

World Bamboo Day Celebration - Sept 18 2012

Editor's Note :

Poor Man's Timber to Green Gold:

Cultures in the many south Asian countries have traditionally recognized Bamboo as a cradle to grave plant- a recognition of it being such an integral part of their lives. Over the years it also came to be called the 'Poor Man's timber' because it was being used as a viable substitute for timber by those who did not have access to timber. But it is only recently that Bamboo has been referred to as 'Green Gold'; a valuable resource not only for the traditional subsistence economy but even the modern industrial one. There are 1500 documented uses of the versatile grass which is found in abundance in Asia and Africa. After China, India has the largest proportion of its forest area under Bamboo cover.

In an age where "going green" is the new mantra for sustainable progress- Bamboo is not only an easily renewable substitute for wood and Bamboo more effectively reduces Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere than trees and it can also be used as a source of energy!

But what makes Bamboo truly unique is not its natural properties- but that as a resource for the industry it has the potential for bringing great benefits to the tribal and forest dependent communities in the regions- making it a tool for socio-economic transformation.

Current Status: Mining our Gold:

However, experience has shown that there have been many hurdles to the proper utilisation of Bamboo resources. India is a case in point. India is rich in Bamboo resources- both in terms of the diversity of species as well as the abundance of the resource.

Though we have large proportion of forest area under bamboo cover the Bamboo productivity per hectare in India is one fifth of that in China. We are only able to utilise one fourth of the Bamboo stock available to us. The benefits of trade in Bamboo directly or indirectly are concentrated in the hands of the government or industry- a trade that is estimated to be worth almost Rs. 10,000 crore annually.

One of the main impediments has been the classification of a grass as a tree in the Indian Forests Act 1927, which remains the primary legislation on forests and forest resources in India.Including Bamboo under the list of trees has meant it came under the highly restrictive forest laws and means the Forest Department enjoys a monopoly over harvest, transit and trade of Bamboo as forest produce. This regulatory framework has throttled a viable Bamboo economy and denied livelihood opportunities to millions of forest dependent communities and artisans The Planning Commission of India figures suggest that employment in the Bamboo sector in the long run could reach almost 50 million, if it is utilized properly.

Over the past few years with the campaign for the recognition of Bamboo as a grass not tree has produced tangible results. But it was not a question of merely a misclassification- the Bamboo problem in India reflected an entire policy environment which was not conducive to optimum and equitable use of natural resources like Bamboo. The Forest Policy of 1988 marked the first real change in objectives with ecological services and meeting community needs becoming the focus, rather than increasing government revenue or meeting industrial demand.

The Forest Rights Act 2006 has further strengthened the case for Bamboo resources being in control of communities, by classifying Bamboo as Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP). The act recognizes the first right of communities over NTFP. Finally there has also been a recognition by the government of this changed status of Bamboo. The recognition by successive Ministers handling the Environment and Forests portfolio and efforts to execute the policies has been encouraging.

Former Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh issued a letter which clearly stated that " In light of the legal provisions, and the significance of Bamboo in the lives and livelihood of many communities, you are requested to direct the State Forest Departments to respect the rights accrued to the communities as per the FRA 2006. He also emphasized the need to institute a system for conservation of bamboo forests and enable the empowerment of people for sustainable use and management of this important resource.

Kamesh Salam
Founder and Executive Director,
South Asia Bamboo Foundation, (SABF) and
Expert Member of National Bamboo Mission (NBM),
Ministry of Agriculture and Coop, Government of India.

Former President, WBO
www.worldbamboo.net