Board not promoting bamboo: Kisan Manch

NAGPUR: The Kisan Manch on Wednesday demanded that the role of Maharashtra Bamboo Development Board (MBDB) be redefined by entrusting the role of promoting bamboo cultivation to agriculture and bamboo units to the industry department.
Talking to newsmen, Kisan Manch general secretary Pratap Goswami said Maharashtra has been included in National Bamboo Mission (NBM). To implement its schemes, the state was provided Rs31.35 crore in 2018-19 for setting up hi-tech and small nurseries and 64 micro, small and medium industries.

“However, no industry could avail the benefit in the last financial. Further, the annual action plan by MBDB for 2019-20 is yet to be drawn. The board is working under forest department and doesn’t have enough reach with farmers or industry. Hence, its high time the MBDB role is redefined to promote bamboo,” said Goswami.
Goswami, a bamboo processing expert, said, “We will meet chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and highways minister Nitin Gadkari on the issue and if the demand is not met we will also launch an agitation.”
The Kisan Manch leaders said sizeable forest areas having bamboo has been handed over to tribals under PESA and Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006. At a rough estimate the harvest potential of bamboo from these areas is 2 lakh tonnes.
“However, in the absence of market demand this bamboo is not being sold. The paper mills also have reduced dependence on bamboo and have shifted to wood. The board should be given the responsibility of management of bamboo from FRA and PESA areas,” said Goswami.
In 2017, Maharashtra withdrew transit pass (TP) for bamboo grown on private land but, Goswami said, owing to lack of market, still farmers are not coming forward to grow bamboo. Agrarian crisis in Vidarbha can be largely addressed with bamboo and farmers can expect a net income of Rs1-1.5 lakh per hectare for a period of 50 years.
Kisan Manch demanded the state government make provision of 50% subsidy and 50% term loan for bamboo farming. This will help double the income of farmers in the region as promised by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. “As of now there is no subsidy available for growing bamboo it is available only for planting material,” he said.
India annually imports finished raw agarbatti to the tune of 1.10 lakh tonnes and round bamboo sticks to the tune of 40,000 tonnes. The Customs duty on raw agarbatti was 20% and 30% on round bamboo sticks. However, Centre brought duty on raw agarbatti to zero and a concessional duty of 10% is applied to round bamboo sticks imported from China. “This has hampered growth of local bamboo industry,” he said.
Gadkari recently announced that Customs duty on round bamboo sticks will be restored to 30%. The Kisan Manch appealed to the government to issue 30% duty notification immediately.
“There is big scope for bamboo-based industries in Vidarbha but there is no promotion. On an average, 10 tonnes of bamboo can create one job. There is potential to create 20,000 jobs based on current availability of bamboo in Vidarbha,” said Goswami.