President Ram Nath Kovind has cleared an ordinance amending the Indian Forest Act, omitting bamboo grown on non-forest areas from the definition of a “tree”. This would help in exempting it from requiring permits for felling or transportation. The brief ordinance, aimed at increasing bamboo plantations, states that clause seven in Section 2 of the Act will omit the word “bamboo”. Before this amendment, cutting and transport of bamboo grown in forest as well as non-forest land was illegal.

Definition of tree:
Before the ordinance was issued, the definition of “tree” under the Act included palm, bamboo, brushwood and cane.

Taxonomic classification:
Though taxonomically a grass, bamboo was legally defined as a “tree” under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. Before this amendment, the felling and transit of bamboo grown on forest as well as non-forest land attracted provisions of the Act. This was a major impediment for cultivation.

Objective of amendment:
Major 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 country.

Economic significance of Bamboo:

• Bamboo grows abundantly in areas outside forests with an estimated growing stock of 10.20 million tonne.
• About 20 million people are involved in bamboo-related activities. One tonne of bamboo provides 350 man-days of employment.
• The bamboo demand in India is estimated at 28 million tonne.
• Though India has 19 per cent share of world’s area under bamboo cultivation, its market share is only 6 per cent.
• As per the assessment of United Nation’s Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the bamboo business in the North-East Region alone has a potential of about Rs. 5000 crores in the next ten years.
• At present, India imports timber and allied products such as pulp, paper and furniture and the amendment will help in addressing the issues.

Analysis:
The amendment and the resultant change in classification of bamboo grown in non-forest areas will usher in much needed and far-reaching reforms in the bamboo sector. On the one hand, the legal and regulatory hardships being faced by farmers and private individuals will be removed and on the other hand, it will create a viable option for cultivation in 12.6 million hectares of cultivable waste land. The measure will go a long way in enhancing the agricultural income of farmers and tribals, especially in North-East and Central India. The amendment will encourage farmers and other individuals to take up plantation/ block plantation of suitable bamboo species on degraded land, in addition to plantation on agricultural land and other private lands under agroforestry mission. The move is in line with the objective of doubling the income of farmers, besides conservation and sustainable development.

Some of the other benefits of amendment include enhancing supply of raw material to the traditional craftsmen of rural India, bamboo based/ paper & pulp industries, cottage industries, furniture making units, fabric making units, 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. The amendment will greatly aid the success of recently constituted National Bamboo Mission.

The amendment will unleash the potential of bamboo in terms of rural and national economy apart from ecological benefits such as soil-moisture conservation, landslide prevention and rehabilitation, conserving wildlife habitat, enhancing source of bio-mass, besides serving as a substitute for timber.