Every year on September 18, people across the globe mark World Bamboo Day. This celebration is aimed at increasing awareness of bamboo as a versatile material and promoting its use for a sustainable lifestyle. The 2018 World Bamboo Day was themed around bamboo’s part in achieving economic and social sustainability. Bamboo’s multiple uses, combined with its rapid regeneration, make it an excellent choice for agro-forestry over mono-crop plantations.
The Importance of Bamboo in India
Bamboo is greatly valued in India for its versatility. It can be used in over 1,500 ways, including as food, a replacement for wood, building and construction material, for handicrafts and paper. Its significance to rural livelihoods in developing countries like India is immense, earning it colloquial titles such as the ‘poor man’s timber’.
Although it grows tall like a tree, bamboo belongs to the grass family. It has the resilience to withstand both drought and flooding. In terms of bamboo diversity, India ranks second only to China. The North-Eastern States of India house more than 50 bamboo varieties, covering nearly 13% of the total forest area in India.
Bamboo and Livelihoods
About 8.6 million people depend on bamboo for their livelihood in India. Madhya Pradesh has the largest area of bamboo forests; however, the culture of bamboo thrives in the North-Eastern region. Whether it’s using tender shoots as a delicacy or cooking rice in the hollow of raw bamboo, it plays a significant part in everyday life and is deeply ingrained in the culture.
Bamboo and Environment
Bamboo offers numerous advantages over mono-crop tree plantations. It starts yielding after 4-7 years of planting, making it a great choice for agroforestry practice in small land holdings. The establishment of new bamboo plantations can reduce deforestation by serving as an alternative to wood. Bamboo is the fastest-growing canopy and produces 35% more oxygen than trees. It is capable of reclaiming severely degraded sites and wastelands, serves as a good soil binder, and plays an important role in soil and water conservation.
Government Initiatives for Promoting Bamboo
The government has launched the Restructured National Bamboo Mission to foster holistic growth of the bamboo sector. It aims to increase the area under bamboo cultivation and marketing by adopting an area-based, regionally differentiated strategy. To strengthen marketing of bamboo products and to enhance the availability of quality planting material, the government has allocated $200 million in the 2018 Budget.
Bamboo in the Global Market
Edible bamboo is widely demanded in East Asian cuisines and medicine. Bamboo grown in the Northeast, which is 66% of the total growing bamboo stock in India, can be exported to East Asian countries like Japan and Taiwan at competitive prices with government support.
International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR)
Founded in 1997, INBAR is a multilateral development organisation that promotes environmentally sustainable development using bamboo and rattan. With its Secretariat headquarters in China and regional offices in India, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Ecuador, INBAR has significantly impacted the lives of millions of people and environments through its achievements.
Last Modified: February 2, 2024