Dr. Yogesh Sumthane Ph.D. in Forestry Wood Science and Technology Department of Forest Products

1. PROMOTION OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES OF BAMBOO FARMING
Dr. Yogesh Y. Sumthane
Wood Technologist
BRTC, Chichpalli.

2. BAMBOO: Poor Man’s
Gold
“Bestow upon us a hundred
Bamboo clumps” -Rig Veda

3. CONTENTS:
• Characteristics
• Supply
• Demand
• Policy & Legislation
• Livelihood
• Environment
• Future of Bamboo with Technology
• Case Studies
• Recommendations
3

4. Characteristics
• Tree like, woody grass
• 136 species ( 36 genera in India)
• Versatile & highly renewable resource
• Short Growth cycle (commercially imp
species mature in 4-5yrs)
Up to 30 days - BB shoots as food
B/w 6-9 months - for basketry
B/w 2-3 yrs -for laminates &boards
B/w 3-6 years - for construction
• Source of Energy
• Hardy, Light and flexible sought for
nutritional and environmental value

5. Distribution of Some Important Bamboo Species in India
Species Availability %
Growing Stock
States
D. strictus 45 Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Orissa
M. baccifera 20 Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tipura
B. arundinacia 13 Nagaland, Karnataka, Orissa
D. hamiltonii 7 Arunchal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland
B. tulda 5 Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura
B. pallida 4 Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura
Rest 6

6. Propagation of B. Balcooa

7. Economic stability.
Diversification of local products and economies.
Diversification of rural skills.
Improved food and fuel security.
Improvements to the cultural and natural environment.
Landscape diversification.
Reduction in risk of total crop failure.
Impact of Bamboo Farming

8. Products:
• Food
• Fuel
• Timber
• Fodder and forage
• Fibre
• Medicinal products
• Craft products
• Recreation
• Ecological services

10. Trees along borders of crop fields Alternate strips or alley cropping
Random mixture Strip plantation

13. H i s t o r y o f B a m b o o
Hiroshima , 1945:
BB provides first
re-greening after
atom bomb blasts
Limon, Costa
Rica: Only BB
houses from the
National BB
Project survive
violent earthquake
of 1992
A. Bell’s first
phonograph
needle was
made of BB
Some species of
BB grow @ 1.5
m/day
Tensile Strength
of Bamboo is
greater than that
o mild steel
Taiwanese comp
launched first ever
laptop with outer
casing made from
BB
Edison success
-fully used a
carbonized BB
filament in his
experiment with
the first light bulb
Polo balls made
from BB rhizome
A bicycle
Artificial teeth
Mahatma Gandhi
set out on his
famous Dandi
march armed with
his conviction and
BB stave!

14. Supply Side
• Area: 9.96 m ha ( 14.8% of forest
area)
• 30% of area and 70% of growing
stock of bamboo in NE region
• 25% of area and 15% of growing
stock in MP & Chhattisgarh
• Grows in all parts of India except
Kashmir valley
• Second Richest country after China
in Bamboo resources
Availability of Bamboo
• Growing Stock: 82.43 m MT,
• Annual Harvest: 15.5 m MT
(demand: 27 m MT)
Map of distribution- State wise table will be givenFigures (Planning Commission
2015)
Taiwan Plantation: 20-30 MT/ ha per annum- Highest yield in India is 7 MT/ha in
Assam
Considered secondary species in Forest areas and wild growth in non forest areas

15. Supply Issues
• Poor management and low productivity (
forest areas: 1tonne/ha of avg. production
• Large bamboo forests under protected
areas with no harvesting
• Ban on felling and restriction on use in
many districts
• Lack of intensive management
• Overexploitation, fires, grazing
• Flowering patterns

16. Demand Side
• 1500 documented uses
• Wood Substitutes & Composites/ Industrial Use & Products/ Food products/
Construction & Structural Applications
• India’s Share in current for BB : Rs. 2043/ 50, 000 cr*
• Bamboo industry can grow to Rs. 26,000 cr by 2015 and Rs. 36,000 cr by 2025
• The industry is expected to earn about USD 6.7 bn in revenues by 2025
• India looking at capturing 30% of this market

17. SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
Vast resources
Bamboo from the North East are hard
and durable
Cane and Bamboo handicraft has good
market
India has strong roots in
handicrafts
Labor cost is low
Bamboo is less versatile than the
bamboo from China
Finished products from the other Asian
countries are superior
Lacks aesthetic appeal &Quality control
In controlling cost, Quality is low
Product is bulky and transportation cost
is high
Industry and cultivators yet to recognize potential
OPPORTUNITUES THREATS
Market for Bamboo Gazebo can be
developed
Development in design and quality of
handicraft products
There is scope for creating category
product market
There will be strong competition from
other Asian countries.
Established players like China & Taiwan
Poor treatment procedures may lead to
loss. Treatment should be standardized

18. POLICY ENVIRONMENT
Demand & Supply
• Shortfall in supply even for current demand
• Location of industry away from growing areas
• Unscientific and Inefficient use
• Shortage of quality bamboo or sustained supply
• Paper & Pulp ind. Importing wood pulp worth Rs.
3000 cr
• Illegal Smuggling to Bangla. and Mymr. & Nepal
– Rs.255cr
Low &
poor
quality
supply
Low
demand

19. Policy Features
Objective Formulation Execution
• Laws promulgated to extend state
control
• extraction of forest produce esp.
timber
• 1988 FP marked change
• Definitional anomalies-
of BB & Forests
• Lack of harmonization of
laws
• Extensive regulation
• Tedious procedures
• Red Tapism
• Inefficiency
• Rent seeking behavior
Central Laws Court Judgments
Indian Forest Act (1927)
Definition of tree includes BB
Harvested BB is timber
Forest Produce : (a) Timber regardless of where it originates
(b) Plants not being trees which originate from forest
Act 2006 classifies BB as NTFP ( minor)
Supreme Court:
BB is grass thus felled BB is not timber
BB removed from non forest areas including pvt lands are
not forest produce
Areas under pvt plantations are not forests & will be guided
by State Laws
Orissa HC: Irrespective of BB being tree or grass BB
originating in pvt land not FP

20. • Most bamboo is located on government owned lands, Government ownership of forests has been well established in both
forest laws and policies.
• Forest Dept : 93% Revenue Dept: 4 % Private landowners: 3% of forest area
• On its land govt pays unskilled day laborers to manage 4-year rotations of BB
• Amendment of the 1988 Forest Act, the government restricted the role of the private sector on government forestlands.
• FP 1988 shifted it key focus of promoting forest industry and extraction of natural resources to almost exclusively being
managed for ecological services and meeting community needs
• Only local communities are currently treated as stakeholders in managing govt forests and have now been granted rights to
NTFP*
• Government introduced the Joint Forest Management (JFM) program- Bamboo forestlands have not been brought under
JFM
BB Forests on govt. land BB forests on pvt. land BB on pvt plantations

21. State Wise Study
• Prior to 1976 forests a State Subject, now in
Concurrent
• Most states have Primary Acts on forests modeled on
IFA or rules with the IFA as the primary reference
• use and management of pvt BB forests is governed
either by separate Private Forest Acts or by
provisions in the State Forest Acts
• 10/ 19 states have State Laws/ Acts for Pvt. Forests
• 2 States -Andhra Pradesh & Sikkim do not follow
definitional pattern of IFA
• Nagaland is a spcl. case-majority forests are pvt.
Forests. All regulatory req.s have been removed
1 Kerala
2 Gujarat
2 Madhya Pradesh
4 West Bengal
5 Maharashtra
5 Uttar Pradesh
6 Bihar& Jharkhand
6 Orissa
6 Tamil Nadu
10 Karnataka
Index of Regulation
* Refer CII study
Pg 157
Pg 23 – The Kerala Promotion of Tree Growth on Non Forest
Areas Act 2005 (as amended in 2007) No permission for felling
or transport of BB on non forest areas

22. Implications
• Potential largely unrealized under this set-up
• Unorganized Subsistence BB economy
• Productivity in govt owned forests is lower than potential compared
to other countries & that in homesteads
• Policies Distort incentives: Cost of 1 Pole of Dendrocalamus
Strictus: Rs.20
Cost on reaching Hyderabad City: Rs. 40/Pole
• BB has to compete with other agricultural/ food crops which are
subsidized / Inferior good
• existing restrictions limit the effort and input provided by the owners
to increase the productivity of pvt. lands
Industry Forest Dept.
Politicians
Why MoEF could oppose lifting of
restrictions:
1. Could encourage illegal felling &
extraction from govt. forests
2. Loss of royalty

23. New Approach
• Earlier BB was considered a minor forest product
compared to wood and therefore did not receive the
kind of support from government as other forest res
• Mission Approach adopted- National Bamboo Mission
• Micro Missions under different Ministries. Important
among them-
• M.M on Technology Development/ Policy/ Marketing/
Trade& Development
• Requires a mammoth coordination effort
• Overlapping Jurisdictions 25 different institutions
including 5 ministries have been roped in
• Underlying Forest management system also needs to
change

24. Livelihood
Current Status
• Bamboo Sector generates 432 Mn workdays annually
• Bamboo based handicrafts employs 10 million people
• Women constitue a majority of the map weaving and
Bamboo crafts work
• Bamboo mat production in India generates 3 mn
workdays annually
• Out of 68 million tribal population, 50% depend on NTFPs
for their livelihood requirement
• Traditional uses- support agriculture, horticulture, animal
husbandry, sericulture and in small industries
Targets and Issues
• Unavailibility of raw materials for artisans & NTFP for forest
dependent communities
• Cross Subsidization of poor
• Traditional communities moving away from BB Crafts
• Can generate employment or unskilled, semi skilled and skilled
workers
• Target was 8.6 mn jobs (new) and uplifting 5.01 mn BPL
families
• New Bamboo Plantations ( forest and non forest areas)
• In the long run establishment of new industries can generate
employment to 50 mn people

25. Environment
Uses
• Reduces Carbon Dioxide levels in the atmosphere*
• Lowers light intensity, protects against UV rays-
acts as atmospheric and soil purifier
• Versatile high yield renewable natural resource
• Substitute for wood- grows faster, less water req.
• Prevents soil erosion
• Food source, has anti toxicant medicinal value
• Source of energy- foremost in Biomass prodn. (
burnt directly) or gasification of Bamboo
Benefits
• Offset climate change factors*
• Rehabilitation of degraded land, controlling landslides,
floods, protection of sea banks, riverbanks, damsites etc.
• Can be used for Watershed development
• As a substitute for wood- will mitigate pressure on natural
forests
• New innovative bamboo products can replace products
made from non biodegradable material
• Ensure nutritional security for rural people
• Clean renewable source of energy

26. CASE STUDY: China
• Recognized as Kingdom of Bamboo
• 5 mn ha of Bamboo resources
• Total Bamboo production value over US $ 6 billion
(export value- US $ 600 mn)*
• First mover Advantage
• Result of 4 decades of efforts
• Post 1985 old system of state procurement abolished
• Mkt for BB opened completely prices determined by SS
& DD
• Export & pvt enterprise culture
• Facilitate formation of Dragon head enterprises
• Bamboo industry zones

27. Development Sequence
Later 1970s- Early
1980s
• Rural System Reform
• Collective Responsibility->
Household Responsibility
Scheme
• Bamboo product marketing
system: State Monopoly ->
Free Market
Middle 1990s: 3
Pronged Stabilization
• Stabilization of
• Mt. & Forest Property
• Self Processes Mt.
Property
• HRS
• Incentivized investment by
farmers
2006 onwards
• Forestry System Reforms
incl. Bamboo
• Right to ownership which
allows farmers to transfer,
transact or circulate as
property
• Sundry taxes & fees
exempted In 2001*
• Subsidized funds and
fertilizers

28. Comparative Study
China India
Ownership & Management Rights with individuals O & M rights not clearly defined. Differ from state to
state
BB related Institutional Arrangements cover all
aspects
Till recently the institutions focused on dist of BB to
local and industrial units. NBM, NMBA, CTBC etc
launched
Organizational Arrangements for Bamboo
Management- Multi layer and Multi regional (
Forestry Bureau also follows the same form
Administrative structure U form- Independent forest
depts exist only at the state level
Local level govts have little bargaining power but
greater autonomy. Ability to design dynamic
institutions
Institutions designed at the state level. Institutional
inertia, attitudinal inertia and non-accountability
Mkt Research and Product diversification- pvt
enterprises put great emphasis on mkt research.
Responds to world demand. Consumer items+ new
industrial items
Till recently even basic data abt BB was absent.
Traditional products, Industrial use limited to Pulp

29. China India
In BB – dominant areas BB has played a critical role
in poverty eradication
BB mainly used for benefit for ind. Org.s ( pulp
mills) & subsistence at village levels
Diverse ownership and management
arrangements, all units compete for BB ( raw
material) in an open competitive mkt. State has no
role to play in supply to these units
In some states industrial units still dependent on
state for supply of raw materials so are rural
artisans. Classic case of cross subsidization of rich
by poor
Institutional Arrangements are:
Complete
Decentralized
Diverse
Flexible
Responsive to local needs
Responsive to other subsectors
Aimed at equity consistent economic efficiency
Institutional Arrangements are:
Partial
Centralized
Narrow
Full of rigidities
Non responsive to local needs
Non responsive to other sub sectors
Aimed at profit maximization of ind. Units and
subsistence of poor

30. Case Study: States
• BB based livelihood, the Sindhudurg Model ( Konkan region, Maharashtra): Traditional BB working communities
are SCs
• Widespread use of plastic has reduced demand and limited opportunities
• Dev of BB based craft & Ind. Requires relatively low capital, raw material, tools and machinery inv. Compared to
other handicraft activities
• Konkan Bamboo& Cane Dev Centre ( KONBAC) & Univ Dept of Life Sciences, Univ of Mumbai Initiated a
community based BB dev Prog.
• Estb. & demonstration of
– 1 Community - based BB treatment Plant
– BB Furniture Manufacturing Unit
– BB based marketing Hubs ( BAMHU)
– Passenger Resting Shade at Ratnagiri Rlwy. Station
– First ever All BB Resort
– Bamboo Flyover in Guwahati Assam
– BRTC Bamboo Building Chichpalli

31. Case Study: States
• Tamil Nadu Contract Farming Model: Mismatch of demand and Supply at Paper mills lead to massive wood pulp import.
• TN Newsprint and Papers ( TNPL) initiated farm and agroforestry programmes through tri and quad partite models
• A contract in this case is an agreement btw growers & processors. CF is viewed to benefit user agency by ensuring sustained
raw material supply
• In the age of liberalization & Globalization there is a danger that small scale farmers will find it difficult to fully participate in the
market economy. In many cases small farmers could be marginalized as large farms become more profitable
• Involves increasing area under farm and forestry plantation through industrial participation
• Key reasons for failure of industrial plantation schemes are non involvement of local people, lack of assured buy back and
minimal support price
• This constraint can be overcome through contract farming system

32. Quad
partite
Industry
Growers
Stock
Holder
Research
Ins.

33. CASE STUDY: (APIL)
Features
• Converted from Plywood factory to BB board
manufacturing unit
• 1996 (Ban on timber by SC)
• FIPPI agreed to convert it into a bamboo board
industry
• Faced numerous procedural handicaps
• Factory closed 18 times during conversion process
due to different interpretations of the SC order by
different forest officers
• Functioned regularly from 2006 intervention by PC
• Ancillary units in remote villages with a buyback
arrangement
Lessons
• Procedural impediments must go
• Systematic not piecemeal approach to be adopted
• Takes care of demand supply problem
• local entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihood
opportunities for local populace
• E.g. Agreement to procure mats from 38 villages in
Nagaland ( earlier supplying 700->10,000
units/month
• Req. of 1 lakh mats can generate employment to
33,000 persons ( 90% of mat makers are women)
• More than 100% value addition in Splint
manufacturing units

34. future of Bamboo with Technology
 Bamboo Is A Renewable Resource
 Bamboos Versatility In Building Material
 CLL Cross Laminated Lumber
 MDF Medium Density Fibre Board
 OSD Oriented Strand Board
 Bamboo cement Composite
 BMCS Bamboo Mat Corrugated Sheet
Bamboo has increasingly become one of the top engineering materials used in the manufacture of everyday items. Bamboo
is a readily available resource that has many sustainable and versatile benefits.

35. Major Uses of Bamboo
Use Percent Consumption
Paper Pulp 35.0
Housing 20.0
Non-Residential 5.0
Rural uses 20.0
Fuel 8.5
Packing, including baskets 5.0
Transport 1.5
Furniture 1.0
Other wood industries 1.0
Others, including ladders etc. 3.0

36. Bamboo – Nature’s Gift
[A material for cost effective and disaster resistant housing]
As a Raw Material
Properties:
1. High tensile strength
2. Very good weight to strength ratio
3. Pressure tolerance upto 3656 kg/cm2
4. Easy to handle with simple tools
5. Renewable raw material
Building Material
1. Environment friendly
2. Energy efficient
3. Cost effective
Weaknesses
1. Has short durability compared to wood
2. High moisture and starch content
3. Prone to fungi and beetle attach
4. Service life of untreated bamboo 4-6 years in exposed conditions
Treatment & Preservation
Preservation (Traditional methods):
Curing; Smoking; Soaking; Seasoning
Chemical Treatment:
Boric acid; Borax; Boron; (Dip diffusion or modified Boucherie processes)
Mechanical Process for
Cutting, slicing, knot removing
and slivering
Mat weaving from
Slivers
Hot Processing and
Binding
Composite Building Materials
•BMBs, BMPB, BMCS
•Bamboo Lumber
•Sandwiched panel
•Bamboo based shutters
•Bamboo flooring
Bamboo House
Bamboo – Raw Material to Finished Product

37. Indian Specifications for Bamboo & Bamboo Products
IS 14588 : 1999 Specification for Bamboo Mat Veneer Composite for General Purposes
IS 13958 : 1994 Specification for Bamboo Mat Board for General Purposes
IS 1902 : 1993 Code of Practice for Preservation of Bamboo and Cane for non-structural
purposes
IS 10145 : 1982 Specification for Bamboo Supports for Camouflaging Equipment
IS 9096 : 1979 Code of Practice for Preservation of Bamboo and Cane for Structural
purposes
IS 8242 :1976 Method of Tests for Split Bamboo
IS 8295 :1976 Specification for Bamboo Chicks ; Part 1 Fine, Part 2 Coarse
IS 7344 : 1974 Specification for Bamboo Tent Pole
IS 6874 : 1973 Method of Tests for Round Bamboo
IS 15476 : 2004 Specification for Bamboo Mat Corrugated Sheets

38. Some Important Properties of BMCS
Size : 1.05m X 1.8 m X 3.5 mm
Weight 6.5 – 7.90 kg/sheet
Load Bearing Capacity 4.8 N/mm width
Deflection at Breaking Point 85 mm
Thermal Conductivity 0.1928 k cal/m OC
Fire Resistance Conforms to flammability test
Energy Requirement Highly Energy Efficient

39. LOAD BEARING STRENGTH OF BMCS
ACCS
CGIS BMCS
ALUMINIUM

40. Utilization of BMCS

41. Promotional Technology

42. Micropropogation of Dendrocalamus strictus
Tissue culture Development

43. Root Development of Bamboosa balcooa

44. Mechanical Properties
DEFINITION
 The mechanical properties of wood are its fitness and ability to
resist applied or external forces
 The mechanical properties of wood
considered are
 (1) stiffness and elasticity, (2) tensile strength, (3)
compressive or crushing strength, (4) shearing strength, (5)
transverse or bending strength, (6) toughness, (7) hardness,
(8) cleavability, (9) resilience.

45. •  The property by means of which a body acted upon by external forces tends to
retain its natural size and shape, or resists deformation.
•  Thus a material that is difficult to bend or otherwise deform is stiff; one that is
easily bent or otherwise deformed is flexible. Flexibility is not the exact counterpart of
stiffness, as it also involves toughness and pliability.
Stiffness

46. The tensile strength of wood parallel to the grain depends upon
the strength of the fibers and is affected not only by the nature
and dimensions of the wood elements but also by their
arrangement.
TENSILE STRENGTH


47.  Is very closely related to hardness and
transverse shear.
 There are two ways in which wood is
subjected to stress of this kind, namely, (1) with
the load acting over the entire area of the
specimen, and (2) with a load concentrated over a
portion of the area.
COMPRESSION TEST

48.  Whenever forces act upon a body in such a way that one portion tends
to slide upon another adjacent to it the action is called a shear. In wood
this shearing action may be (1) along the grain, or (2) across the
grain.
Shearing Strength

49. 
•  When external forces acting in the same plane are applied
at right angles to the axis of a bar so as to cause it to bend,
they occasion a shortening of the longitudinal fibers on the
concave side and an elongation of those on the convex side.
TRANSVERSE OR BENDING

50. FAILURES IN BEAMS
 (1) Simple tension, in which there is a direct pulling in two of the wood
on the underside of the beam due to a tensile stress parallel to the grain
 (2) Cross-grained tension, in which the fracture is caused by a tensile
force acting oblique to the grain. This is a common form of failure where
the beam has diagonal, spiral or other form of cross grain on its lower
side.
 (3) Splintering tension, in which the failure consists of a
considerable number of slight tension failures, producing a ragged or
splintery break on the under surface of the beam. This is common in
tough woods.

51.  (4) Brittle tension, in which the beam fails by a clean break extending entirely through
it. It is characteristic of a brittle wood which gives way suddenly without warning, like a
piece of chalk.
 (5) Compression failure has few variations except that it appears at various distances
from the neutral plane of the beam. It is very common in green timbers. The compressive
stress parallel to the fibers causes them to buckle or bend as in an endwise compressive
test.
 (6) Horizontal shear failure, in which the upper and lower portions of the beam slide
along each other for a portion of their length either at one or at both ends is fairly common
in air-dry material and in green material when the ratio of the height of the beam to the
span is relatively large.

53.  Wood that is difficult to split is said to be tough
 Toughness includes flexibility and is the reverse of brittleness, in that tough
woods break gradually and give warning of failure.
 Toughness is dependent upon the strength, cohesion, quality, length,
and arrangement of fiber, and the pliability of the wood
TOUGHNESS: TORSION

54. The term hardness is used in two senses, namely:
(1) resistance to indentation, and (2) resistance to abrasion or
scratching
In the latter sense hardness combined with toughness is a measure
of the wearing ability of wood and is an important consideration
in the use of wood for floors, paving blocks, bearings, and rollers.
HARDNESS

55.  Cleavability is the term used to
denote the facility with which
wood is split. A splitting stress is
one in which the forces act
normally like a wedge.
CLEAVABILITY

56.  Is the amount of work done upon a body in deforming it. Within
the elastic limit it is also a measure of the potential energy stored
in the material and represents the amount of work the material
would do upon being released from a state of stress
RESILIENCE

57. Universal Testing Machine

58. CASE STUDY: Individuals
• Andhra Pradesh Community Forest Management
(APCFM) project
• Implemented by the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department
(APFD), with funding support from the World Bank
• 50.000 ha of degraded BB forests targeted for treatment .
Target exceeded by 10 %
• Community level manufacturing facilities ( for incense
sticks) generate 1 mn man days/ annum
• Annual turnover of Rs.16 crore
• Fetches revenue of Rs. 18,000 per tonne as against Rs.
500 per tonne realized from pulp and paper mills

59. I am the Vice Chairperson Van Samrakshana Samithi (VSS) in Chinthapally village of Adilabad District
(Andhra Pradesh). I am one of 91 women members. I earn Rs. 50-60/ day making agarbathi sticks from
bamboo slats. This arrangement suits me as I can supplement the household income working at my own pace
and completing my household chores too. Importantly the correct wages are paid regularly…
…The opportunity to generate income legally from forest produce has created a vested interest for the
community to nurture and maintain the forests. This inturn has extended the State’s forest management
capacity to such an extent that it is keen to create more VSSs& CFCs…
Muthamma now has a regular income, which she now earns from the security of her neighbourhood and her
home, a life of dignity

60. Hi, my name is Arif. I work at the at the Common Facility Centre (CFC) in Mancherial,
Andhra Pradesh. I had spent a year idling after college before this opportunity came along. A
four month training period later I was ready to start making bamboo slats on a regular basis.
These slats are supplied to the women from nearby VSSs for making agarbatti sticks. I earn
Rs. 150 on a good day and about Rs. 100 on a regular day. Though the work gets repititve and
also leads to backaches sometimes I am proud to be helping in the upkeep of my six member
family…
There are many young men like me here, who used to migrtae to urban areas earlier in search of
work. We would end up mostly underemployed or in worst case indulge in unlawful activities
in desperation.

61. The Van Samrakshana Samithi (VSS), of which I am the Chairperson, was constituted with the formal
consent of more than half the families in Rawanpally village, in Kagaznagar, Andhra Pradesh. It was
selected to be developed as a model village under the APCFM project. Of the total 88 VSSs in Kagaznagar
Division, Rawanpally is one of the 24 that use bamboo for income generation. Bamboo has provided the
women a productive and remunerative leisure time activity of agarbatti stick making. All able-bodied VSS
members lend their muscles and traditional knowledge for the upkeep of the forest. Trenching, earth
moulding, pit digging, planting, pruning…they have work round the year. Another opportunity to work
and earn in the vicinity of their homes.
Rawanpally VSS is fully into forest maintenance and conservation. “Wherever parts of the forest have been
handed over to the villagers for conservation, they have developed a sense of ownership

62. CASE STUDY: Communities
• Bamboo artisan communities of Chattisgarh –
Kandra & Basod (ST)
• Issued Bamboo Ration Card for getting BB from
govt. at lower rates
• Articles like Mats, hats, baskets etc.
• They sell items themselves in Local weekly markets
or through whole sellers and retailers
• Most shift away from BB handicraft Production as a
source of livelihood
• Shortage &Poor quality of BB supplied on cards and
high prices of BB available in the market are factors
• Use of outdated and very laborious technologies &
lack of proper & systematic marketing channels
Reg.
Basods
Actual
Target
Propos-
ed
Target
Availabl
e
Sold
5227 1500
(100%)
908.2
(60%)
556
(37%)
427.6
(28.5%)
Source of
Income
Families (%)
Central North Southern
BB Craft only 10% 5% 5%
Source of
Income
Share of Income (%)
Central North Southern
BB Craft only 60% 70% 40%

63. Policies
• BAFFACOS, Bamboo Flowering and Famine Combat
Scheme a five-year programme
– Early Harvesting of BB
– Rodent Control
– Agricultural Diversification
• The Govt of Mizoram declared the Mautam as a disaster
in 2007
• lifting of ban on export of muli bamboo & removal of
harvesting and Felling restrictions on Forest and Non
forest areas in NE
• The Achievement Report on BAFFACOS at variance
with ActionAid Study
• Accusations of Corruption and Misreporting. Sporadic
protests
Status & Potential
• Reviving Closed Paper & Plywood Factories
• BB Shoot industry great export potential
• Mostly non-clump forming BB
• Smuggled BB can fetch 2.6 times the value of raw
BB
• Special BB zone : Boost to local handicrafts (
tribals) & new age items

64. “Bamboo Sector has to be ‘liberalized’ and it should be treated as a plantation and
Horticulture crop without any restriction on its movement and felling for
commercial purposes”
***
“Bamboo is often called the ‘Orphan’ crop as in the Government no Department
or Agency has taken up its potential in a holistic manner”
***
Planning Commission, 2003
“QUOTE UNQUOTE”

65. Way Ahead...
Allow forces of demand and supply to operate
Undertake market complementary interventions
Incentivise prod
Remove informational asymmetries
Facilitate expansion of markets ( incl promoting exports)
Result: EFFICIENT OUTCOME
Indicator: Productivity and opportunities not lost ( DD-SS gaps)
Improve on outcome by incorporating livelihood and env. concerns
Contract Farming: provide people friendly legal framework
Tribal Artisan communities/ Forest dependent:
R&D activities to allow them to access markets
& develop new products, introduce best practices
Result: EFFICIENT & EQUITABLE OUTCOME
Indicator: Employment levels, Poverty alleviation, Resource situation
,(relevant sections)

66. Recommendations
• Supply
SUPPLY
(govt. land)
DEMAND POLICY & LEG. LIVELIHOOD &ENV.
• Resource
Inventorization and
Monitoring
• Sustainable Harvesting
& Best Collection/Non
Destructive Practices
• Training of JSS members
• Scientific Regeneration
• Handling the
phenomena of gregarious
flowering effectively
• Promoting the use of
bamboo and bamboo
products in government
infrastructure
development and
housing programs
• Product Specific R&D/
Designing/ Range
through design institutes
• Marketing Strategy:
Branding, Certification
and Standard codes
• Amend 1927 Act
• MoEF should declare BB
a grass
• Bamboo to be clearly
classified as NTFP and
regulations in cutting,
transport and use of
bamboo should be
relaxed
• Orientation of People on
Tribal Right Act in relation
to NTFP harvesting and
tenure rights
• Creation of a Bamboo
Board
Integrating BB based
livelihood options into
poverty alleviation
programs that target
SC/ST . like NREGA
Rehabilitation of Plywood
factories using Bamboo as
raw material
Expansion of Handicrafts
and Cottage & tiny
industry- bamboo shoot
production, agarbattis etc

67. Recommendations
SUPPLY
(pvt. Land)
DEMAND POLICY & LEG. LIVELIHOOD &ENV.
• Managed Plantations
should be encouraged
• Suitable Agroforestry
models developed
• Investment in
infrastructure to attract
pvt. Investment
• Establish National
Bamboo Institute
• Promotional Campaign
• Market Information
System
• Relaxation of Taxation
policies
• Import Duty to be
levied on imported pulp
in the short run
• Credit made easily
available for SMEss
•Gov. to declare it a
horticulture crop
•Farm grown Bamboo
trade & transit rules need
to be abolished
• Include BB as a
Plantation crop wherever
separate laws exist
•Remove land ceiling
restrictions
•North East converted into
Special Bamboo Zone
BB to be included under
JFM program and planted
in degraded areas
Explore BB as a source of
energy for rural
Households
Policy
Make BB eligible for
Carbon Credits
Scientific Harvest Policy
to apply to pvt producers
as well

68. Conclusion
• On account of the enforcement of our natural forest protection project, wood is becoming
increasingly scarce. The realization that bamboo is the most potentially important non-timber
resource and fast-growing woody biomass, has evoked keen interest in the processing,
preservation, utilization and the promotion of bamboo as an alternative to wood.
• The properties as top grade building material and increased availability of bamboo in our
country makes it possible to use, bamboo in the field of construction extensively.
• Its high valued utilization not only promotes the economic development, but also saves forest
resources to protect our ecological environment as a wood substitute.

69. Thank you!
For Your Kind Attention…