Production and Utilization of Bamboos

Bamboo, a versatile multi-purpose forest produce, plays a vital role in the world's industrial and domestic economies. The lives of people, both urban and rural, rich and poor, are so intrinsically dependent upon bamboo and its variegated uses, that it is not hard to conceive the people's plight without this useful commodity. Easy to propagate, it is exploitable at quick rotations, say of 3-4 years. Besides naturally occurring in the forest, bamboo is extensively planted by the villagers on their marginal lands. Considering these areas and the forest areas, the estimated present production and utilisation of bamboos in India is about 9.5 million metric tonnes annually, providing a direct employment of about 71.25 million man-days for harvesting alone. The paper discusses: cultivation/plantation, management, treatment of bamboo before utilisation, and species-wise utilisation in detail. The progress research in the utilisation of bamboos at the F.R.I. has also been briefly discussed.