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Farmers who had taken to bamboo cultivation are finding marketability of this farm produce difficult and depressing.
A good number of bamboo growers, who had converged at the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), campus this morning echoed this sentiment.
"I took to bamboo cultivation four years back as I was told that it would control global warming and I would be able to make money on carbon credits. I am stuck now, as the return has been nil. If only I had taken to cultivation of some other crop, I would have got something,'' laments Jagan Radhakrishnan, a farmer from Thiruvannamalai district.
According to him, bamboo is raised in around 1,200-1,500 acres in Thiruvannamalai district alone. A similar area is said to have been brought under bamboo across several other districts as well.
These farmers were at IFGTB to take part in the Bamboo Growers and Entrepreneurs Meet (BGEM).
Jagan and a few others told Business Line that their decision to take to bamboo cultivation was probably not correct in the first place.
“Bamboo cultivation is not organised; we need government support to market the produce; and the department should facilitate a tie-up with the user company,” said Jagan.
Meanwhile, IFGTB sources said that they have been introducing bamboo to farmers through various projects since 2004.
“We understand that marketability is an issue and plan to address this. Bamboo growers can contact the Bamboo Market Information Centre (BMIC) located within the IFGTB campus and seek our help. The BMIC will help farmers market their produce by facilitating meetings between growers and bamboo entrepreneurs,' said M Maria Dominic Savio, Convener, BGEM.
IFGTB Director, N Krishnakumar, said India is home to second largest diversity of bamboo (next only to China) in the world with around 136 species.
With a focus on including bamboo in the development agenda of the country, several mission mode schemes are being implemented by the Government and bamboo plantations outside forest area, is being promoted extensively, he added.
Aruna Basu Sarcar, Director, Tamil Nadu Forest Academy, emphasised the need for a minimum support price for bamboo to protect the grower community.
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