NEW DELHI, Nov 25 ? The UPA Government is contemplating amendment of the Indian Forest Act 1927 to exclude bamboo from the list of forest product, Minister of State for Science and Technology, Kapil Sibal said this here today.
Formally launching the National Mission on Bamboo Applications (NMBA), Sri Sibal said that in order to ensure the difference between a tree and bamboo, his Ministry was seeking to amend the Indian Forest Act. However, the Minister declined to specify a time frame for bringing the amendment.
The inclusion of bamboo in the list of forest product is proving to be a hurdle in commercial promotion of bamboo as a viable substitute for plywood and timber. The ban on cutting and transportation of forest products imposed by the Supreme Court has hit the expansion of the bamboo industry.
Sri Sibal, however, contended that the Union Forest and Environment Ministry agrees with the view of his Ministry that the bamboo is grass. The Ministry of Agriculture last year proposed that bamboo be declared as a horticulture and plantation crop, without restrictions on its cultivation, extraction, transportation and bona fide commercial and household applications, if it is grown outside forest areas.
Under the Indian Forest Act, the clause-defining tree includes palms and bamboo. As a consequence, this attracts the provisions of the Act for regulation of transit of trees and timber. But to promote forestry on non-forest lands, many State Governments have exempted species like poplar, eucalyptus and neem from the purview of the Section 41 and 42 of the ACT from the need to obtain transit passes (TP) for movement of forest produce.
It has been further argued that since bamboo is difficult, even impossible to distinguish, once harvested and stored for some time, in practise the provisions of the Indian Forest Act, intended to apply to notified forest areas, are in practice extended by forest check gates to homestead and private plantation bamboo as well.
The NMBA has been tasked with creating the base for enlarging the bamboo sector, and with supporting the efforts of the Government of India towards augmenting economic opportunity, income and employment. The NMBA is one of the initiatives of the Department of Science and Technology for the Tenth Plan. It is structured as a Technology Mission, and implemented by the Technology, Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC).
According to Chairman of the Advisory Commission, Dr Jayanta Madhab the official multi-disciplinary in its approach and focusing on value addition and commercialisation. The Mission is developing, testing and disseminating technologies besides supporting demonstration and entrepreneurial projects. A knowledge and technology network is in action, he added.
Meanwhile, Rs 100 crore NMBA is likely to directly benefit the North Eastern Region, which grows two-third of the country?s bamboo production.
The results are already showing, as the first unit with a production capacity of 60,000 square feet per month of bamboo flooring board is going into production by the end of the year. The Project, set up in the private sector at EPIP Amingaon has used the indigenous technology developed by TIFAC.
Meanwhile, the department of Bio-technology has identified Growmore Biotech as a primary supplier of tissue cultured bamboo plants for their network programme for production and demonstration of high quality planting material of bamboo. In collaboration with the NMBA, 2.5 lakh plants are being inducted this year in the North-East alone.
Growmore is working with Hindustan Paper Corporation as well, having initially established a plant hardening facility at Jagiroad. It is now in the process of establishing a tissue culture production facility for the HPC.