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| Bamboo-The Wonder Grass | | |
Dr. Banarsi Lal and Dr. Vikas Tandon
Jammu and Kashmir is a mountainous Union Territory in which Jammu region is predominantly sub-tropical while Kashmir region is temperate. Agriculture plays the pivotal role in the economy of this beautiful Union Territory. Agricultural sector is very vast and it provides employment directly or indirectly to around 70 per cent of J&K population. Agriculture contributes about the significant amount of UT revenue which signifies the overdependence of the UT on agriculture. The average size of land holding of the UT is only 0.67 hectare against 1.33 hectares’ land holding size on national basis. About 30 per cent of the area of the UT is under cultivation. The agro-diversity of the UT varies from sub-tropical in Jammu region and temperate in Kashmir region. The average annual rainfall of these two regions is 1069mm, and 660mm respectively. The average temperatures of these two regions are 24.5 and 13.3 Centigrade respectively. There is need to increase the income and employment in agriculture and allied sectors for the farmers of J&K. This is possible by searching some new avenues in agriculture. J&K lies in the North West of the country. About 19.95% of the total geographical area of this UT is covered under forests. A large part of the geographical area of J&K is under permanent snow cover, glaciers and thus unable to support trees growth. The national level goal in forestry is to cover at least two thirds of the total area in the hilly regions under forests and trees cover. Jammu and Kashmir adopted the forest policy to maintain adequate forests in various regions of the UT in 2011.There is need to popularize bamboo cultivation particularly in the wastelands as bamboo cultivation has immense potential in the UT.J&K already has some bamboo growing pockets where entrepreneurships can be generated by the value addition in bamboo. J&K has immense scope of agro-ecotourism, handicrafts, agarbati making etc. and bamboo can play a crucial role in these industries. Bamboo production is a highly commercial industry and its cultivation reduces the soil erosion. It can be a source of extra income and employment for the farmers of this hilly UT. Bamboo is an important plant gifted by nature in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. It is also called as wonder plant, green gold, emperor of all grasses, wood of the poor etc. It is used by the people in their every-day utilities. It is closely interwoven with the life of the people in several ways. It can be used as a food, fodder, construction material, paper, mats, musical instruments, paintings etc. Bamboo has multiple economical, ecological and social values. It has the capacity to provide the ecological, economic and livelihood security among the people. It acts as source for the raw material for the industrial and domestic use. Bamboo biodiversity can be observed in different areas of J&K.
Bamboo forms the most diverse group of plants in the grass family. It belongs to the sub-family Bambusoidae of the family Poaceae. It is a form of grass but it is strong and elastic. Bamboo is found in all the continents except Europe. It is probably the best natural engineering material on the earth. It mainly grows in the tropics and sub-tropics. It has versatile, enduring and highly renewable material that people have been utilizing for thousands of years. It can be harvested in 2-3 years. It protects the environment by reducing air and water pollution due to its excellent pollution absorption qualities. It produces more than 35 per cent of oxygen than hardwood trees. It can contribute in the economy and ecology of India. It can be used as the building material and also for scaffolding, building of bridges etc. Bamboo maintains its core temperature which helps to grow it in diverse climates.
Bamboo occurs in different bioclimatically defined forest types ranging from tropical to subalpine zones. India is the second richest country in bamboo genetic resources after China. These two countries together have more than half the total bamboo resources in the world. About 136 species of bamboos are reported in India. Bamboo is grown on about 9.57 million hectares in India which constitutes about 12.8% of the total area under forests. Out of the 22 genera available in India, 19 are indigenous and three exotic. The annual production of bamboo in India is about 4.6 million tonnes. The annual yield of bamboo per hectare varies between 0.2 and 0.4 tonnes depending upon the intensity of stocking and biotic interferences. The economic impact of the agro forestry-based bamboo system may influence general economic development of the country. It is mostly found in N-E States, Chhattisgarh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Jammu and Kashmir. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on the earth. Its growth rate ranges between 30cm to 100cm per day. It generates more oxygen than equivalent stand of the trees. It protects against ultra-violet rays and is an atmospheric and soil purifier. Bamboo grows at a fast rate. A story tells that once a forest officer kept his hat on a fast growing bamboo culm and forgot to take it with himself. The next day, he saw that the hat was beyond his hand’s reach in 24 hours. Bamboo has manifold uses from cradle to coffin. Bamboo has many uses as a substitute for fast depleting wood and as an alternative to more expensive materials. It can be used in paper industry, to make small footbridges, water pumps, irrigation pipes etc. In rural areas it can be used as fodder, in making brooms, food, buckets etc. Nutrient analysis of edible bamboos indicated that it contains 77% to 84% moisture, 4% to 7% protein, 5% carbohydrates, 12-13 mg/100G vitamin C and Na, K, Ca, Mg and P as minerals. Bamboo has the potential for checking soil erosion, fast vegetative growth cover to deformed areas and road embankment stabilization. Bamboo tensile strength is 28000 per square inch versus 23000 for steel. It can be used for making pillars, roofs, ceiling, walls etc. It has been traditionally used to make medicines to treat asthma, cough and fever etc. It is also used to make certain structures in earthquake prone areas, in music and arts.
Planning Commission has set up a National Mission on Bamboo Technology and Trade Development. It has been realized that bamboo is very important in poverty eradication and employment generation. The major objective of National Mission on Bamboo is to implement an action plan for keeping bamboo as a key component in the national scene to generate employment, to protect environment degradation and give a boost to bamboo industry. Through various researches in various countries, it has been observed that alcoholic beverages can be made from bamboo leaves, charcoal can be made from bamboo, laminated bamboo mats can be made for disaster prone areas. Therefore, bamboo has an important role in strengthening rural economy. There is need to increase the area and productivity of bamboo. Bamboo plays an important role in rural and socio-economic development of the farmers. Some farmers grow bamboos in and around their farmlands to increase their income. The development of artisan skills for handicrafts and wider utility of bamboo provides more employment opportunities and better income distribution for the rural people. There is a dire need to aware the bamboo growers about the latest information on introduction, phenology, reproductive biology, propagation, exchange of germplasm, conservation status etc. There is also a need for the introduction of other species of bamboo of ethno- biological significance. It has been observed that most of the bamboo growers do not possess up-to-date information on ecological and growth parameters, morphological variability’s, conservation value, methods for multiplication etc. At regional levels systematic survey, range of distribution, flowering periodicity, ethno biological utilization, phenology, floristic compositions, introduction in production forests and homelands of rural areas need to be studied by concerned organizations located in the region. Many of these organizations lack funds, manpower and expertise to assess resources. Inter-institutional support both at regional and inter-regional levels and interaction may help in developing, improving and managing the bamboo cultivation. There is need to develop networking on conservation of bamboo forests, gardens, arboreta, rural homesteads etc.
Bamboo growers should get the institutional support at regional, national and international levels. GIS based information system should be developed for the protected areas. Ethno biological approach should be adopted towards the cultivation, preservation of rare and threatened species of bamboo. There is need of collaboration between the bamboo growers and scientists. There is need to increase the area under bamboo cultivation in J&K. The nurseries of bamboo should also be increased and cluster approach of bamboo growers need to be implemented so that they do not face any problem in marketing. Bamboo growers need trainings on scientific cultivation of bamboo. Capacity building on value addition in bamboo can bring new opportunities of income and employment among the farmers. Bamboo cultivation in J&K can also be promoted through agro-ecotourism. Public and Private Partnerships can play a crucial role in promotion and marketing of bamboo and its products. |
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