Bamboo was de-classified as a tree last year. Here’s what has been happening since then and why it matters for India

By Arushi Sharma

India is second only to China in terms of bamboo production. Despite this, the country currently imports bamboo from China and Vietnam. Bamboo is light, sturdy, hard, and takes a short period to mature, making it suitable for a variety of uses. The abundance and diversity of the resource make a strong case for the revitalisation of bamboo in India.

A bill to amend ways

The Indian Forest (Amendment) Bill 2017, which received the Lok Sabha’s assent on 20^th December 2017, heralded the improvements in the livelihoods and income of Indian farmers and tribals. The Bill excluded non-forest bamboo from the definition of ‘tree’, removing the scientific anomaly from the Indian Forest Act (IFA), 1927. This was done because bamboo is taxonomically classified as a grass. Prior to this, the felling and transit of bamboo required permits irrespective of whether it originated from government-controlled or private land. This curtailed its market and affected the communities that are directly dependent on bamboo-based livelihoods.

Therefore, the bill was pro-poor and pro-tribal in that it aimed to release a major chunk of bamboo for harvesting and use. The previous regulatory framework stifled a viable bamboo economy and denied livelihood opportunities to about 50 million people (Planning Commission estimate, 2003). For these reasons, the bill attracted the support of a number of parliamentarians.

The overlapping regulations

While the passage of the said Bill represented a major policy breakthrough, it is important to note that the de-listing or de-regulation includes only non-forest land. 94 percent percent of bamboo present within forest limits would still remain under state control. Former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had pointed out in the Lok Sabha that this distinction made the Bill fruitless. “You are bringing a Bill to deal with the interests of the six percent. This is not pro-tribal, pro-poor or pro-Northeast. This will benefit only the private industry,” he had emphasised.

Moreover, the IFA continues to be marred by the overlapping legislations of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006. Forest-dependent communities receive dedicated grants for bamboo and non-timber products like tendu patta under the FRA; however, in practice, Indian forest officials have been known to cite the IFA for denying the right to harvest and transport bamboo present on forest land. Therefore, the bureaucratic and institutional hurdles are still standing in the way of employment and economic development of the poorest and forest-dependent communities.

Improving overall access to bamboo: Policy change needed

Going forward, the regulations with respect to cutting, transit, and use of bamboo should be made uniform. The mini-revolution achieved in Maharashtra, where the IFA and other state-level Acts were amended to exclude bamboo from state control serves in the support of this argument. Improving overall access to bamboo in all areas, not just non-forest land, would ensure that the benefit reaches the economically-disadvantaged forest dwellers, rural farmers, and tribal populations. Hence, a policy change is needed for the growth of bamboo in the country. As long as the state governments keep acting as the caretaker, the tribals and villagers owning the resource-rich land would end up earning peanuts. Community rights over bamboo also need to be strengthened for the sustainable utilisation and management of this natural resource.

Additionally, the objectives envisioned in the new laws and policies should be effectively implemented by the forest officials. The legislative steps should be supplemented by the Environment Ministry through the issuance of clear directives to all officials about the change in bamboo’s status.

Promoting community-wide economic development

The next step is creating market opportunities for bamboo-based livelihoods in the country. One way to encourage private cultivation is the creation of a Bamboo Board along with the lines of Tea and Coffee Boards. Further, the North-East can be converted into a ‘Special Bamboo Zone,’ considering the fact that 28 percent area and 66 percent growing stock of bamboo lies in the north-eastern region of India.

Later, as community rights over bamboo are established, the government’s auctioning policy could be reworked as well. Currently, entire forest lands are auctioned to the paper and pulp industry through contractors.  A revenue-sharing mechanism that allows communities to negotiate and sell their green resource to the industry would prove to be much more beneficial. Therefore, timely implementation of the right reforms would tap the immense potential of the resource and give way to a flourishing bamboo economy in the country.