INNOVATION TURNS BAMBOO INTO A COMMODITY FACILITATING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

An amendment in the Indian Forest Act of 1927 in 2017 declassifying bamboo as a tree and categorising it as grass made it legal to grow bamboo, cut it, and sell without requiring permissions and has the potential to transform the bamboo sector in India. The Act empowered state governments to regulate the trade and movement of bamboo, thus offering new opportunities to growers to earn their livelihood through plantation of bamboo. And the decision of the government was aligned to the scientific classification since bamboo belongs to grass family Poacea.

The word “bamboo”?derived from the Malay word “mambu,” is an evergreen plant and also the fastest growing perennial plant in the world, found in tropical, sub-tropical , and mild temperature region and hence grows naturally throughout India except Kashmir. India has its own 123 types of indigenous species of bamboo plant and more than 50% of bamboo resources are in N-E States and West Bengal. In India there are 2 million artisans whose livelihood depends on harvesting, processing, value addition, and selling of bamboo products like baskets, mats, and other handicrafts items.?The total bamboo area in the country is at 1,60,027 sq. km(16.0 Million ha.) as per Forest Survey 2019, a slight?increase?by 0.32 million ha compared to?2017 data. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, India’s annual bamboo production is estimated at 3.23 MT which corresponds to only 4% of the global bamboo trade and commerce.

Bamboo has played an important part in the evolution process of the civilisation, and used as a low-cost material for house construction due to its very outstanding strength to weight ratio and flexibility. Time has changed and has made bamboo as the material of choice for furniture, building construction, and roofing. Bamboo also provides pulp to the paper industry, thus helping conserve the forests by preventing cutting of trees. It is a raw material for the textile, chemical and pharmaceuticals industry. Additionally, bamboo shoots can be eaten and are a established source of nutrition.

Its natural ability to remove greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide from the air, and capability to create 35% more oxygen than other trees, bamboo plantation helps in fighting the climate change. Growing at a healthy rate of?6.1%, the global bamboo products market is expected to be at US$ 12.4 Bn?by 2032.

Thus, bamboo has the potential to be developed as a replacement material for papers and plastics, by Introducing innovative processes and products further leading to a sustainable process of rural industrialization.