- Bamboo are fast growing perennial plants belonging to the grass family.
Distribution
- Bamboos are distributed in tropical and subtropical to mild temperate regions.
- In India it is found naturally across the country except Kashmir.
- Bamboos are found as deciduous and semi-evergreen forest of north-eastern India and as tropical moist deciduous forest in north and south India.
- North-eastern states and West Bengal accounts for more than 50% of the bamboo resources. Also it is seen abundantly in Andaman & Nicobar islands, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and the Western Ghats.
Legal Status in India
- Bamboo comes outside the definition of trees under Indian forest act 1927 through 2017 ordinance. This will promote cultivation of Bamboo outside forest areas and help in improving the income of farmers. This will also help in improving the green cover of the country.
- It is designated as Minor Forest Produce(MFP) which will help forest dwelling communities particularly tribals in earning income.
Minor Forest Produce (MFP).
- This includes non-timber forest produce of plant origin such as bamboo, canes, fodder, leaves, gums, waxes, dyes, resins and many forms of food including nuts, wild fruits, honey, and lac.
National Bamboo Mission
- To fully tap the potential of bamboo through the centrally sponsored scheme.
- It focuses on complete bamboo value chain, from cultivation to marketing.
- It is implemented through State Bamboo Missions.
Uses of Bamboo
- Furniture
- Paper pulp
- Edible shoots as food.
- Agarbatti sticks
- Construction poles
- Bio gas gasification
Source: The Hindu