CHENNAI : After the Union Environment Ministry promulgated the Indian Forest (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 to exempt bamboo grown in non-forest areas from definition of tree, the Tamil Nadu government has followed suit. On Monday, the State government introduced the Bill to amend the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1882, thereby dispensing with the requirement of felling/transit permit for its economic use.
Bamboo, though, taxonomically a grass, was legally defined as a tree under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. Before this amendment, the felling and transit of bamboo grown in forest as well non-forest land attracted penalties under the provisions of the Forest Act. This was a major impediment to bamboo cultivation by farmers on non-forest land.
The objective of the amendment is to promote cultivation of bamboo in non-forest areas to achieve twin objectives of increasing the income of farmers and also increasing the green cover of the State. RK Upadhyay, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force), told Express that bamboo grown in the forest areas shall continue to be protected by the provisions of Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1882.
“There are 5-6 coastal districts where the bamboo cultivation is not possible due to high salinity. Ramnathapuram, Sivaganga, Pudukkotai, Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar don’t have much potential, but other districts like Vellore, Dharmapuri, Erode and Coimbatore have huge potential. “It all depends on how much of government waste land can be used for cultivation. Now, a farmer can grow bamboo in his farm without seeking permission from the department,” he said and adding that the Forest Department would be happy to help revenue and rural development to bring more non-forest area under bamboo cultivation.
According to an official report, there are about 2 million hectares of wasteland in Tamil Nadu. If at least some parts of the wasteland is brought under bamboo cultivation, it can help in the socioeconomic development of the people and accelerate the overall economic growth of the State. Bamboo is a good raw material for traditional craftsmen of rural India, bamboo based/paper & pulp industries, cottage industries, furniture making units, fabric making units, and incense stick making units. Besides promoting major bamboo applications such as wood substitutes and composites like panels, flooring, furniture and bamboo blind, it will also help industries such as those dealing with food products (bamboo shoots), constructions and housing, bamboo charcoal etc.
In forest area, Tamil Nadu has been recording a steady increase in bamboo stocks. As compared to the assessment of Indian State Forest Report - 2011, the total bamboo-bearing area in the State has increased by 889 sq.km. The current total bamboo-bearing area in State forests is 4,154 sq.km and in 2011 it was 3,265 sq.km.
Meanwhile, in another positive move, the State government has constituted the fair price fixation committee for fixing fair price for pulpwood to user industries. The proposal for fixation of fair price of bamboo for 2017-18 and 2018-19 has been placed before the committee meeting held on April 17 and the committee, after detailed deliberations, has recommended the fair price at `1,050 per ton and the government has accepted the recommendation of the panel.