The wonder grass

Jan. 22: The curse of militancy may have prevented Karbi Anglong from making the best use of its blessing, but all is not lost yet.

If things go according to plan, bamboo-based industries in this hilly district will get a new lease of life soon.

The district administration, in collaboration with the Guwahati-based Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC), will establish “bamboo cluster villages” where residents will cultivate and conserve cane and bamboo in groups and make items for the global market.

“Initially, three villages of Manja were selected. Fifty villagers from 25 groups were selected for training,” a source said.

“Bamboo signifies passing on the inheritance of an environmentally cleaner and a healthy greener world to our future generations. The tall wonder grass keeps on generating solutions to our ever-increasing needs and problems in a seemingly everlasting way,” deputy commissioner M. Angamuthu said.

The deputy commissioner assured the groups of financial and technical support for infrastructure development which, he said, would ultimately create a “sense of business” among villagers.

“A CBTC team visited the district recently. After several rounds of discussions, it agreed to launch the joint mission as soon as possible. Fifty villagers of Rangkhangthir, Ram Inghi and Kheronigaon have been selected for training in the initial phase,” Angamuthu said adding that the bamboo sector is expected to usher in change for the better.

The hill district’s bamboo mats have a market across India. The mats have great demand at boiler firms in Andhra Pradesh, plyboard factories at Namsai in Arunachal Pradesh and Tinsukia in Assam.

“As many as three truckloads of bamboo mats set off from different areas of Karbi Anglong every week. A farmer sells a mat at anything between Rs 18 to 20 to a middleman and the price doubles once the consignment crosses the district’s boundary. Finally, a ply factory purchases mats for Rs 42 a piece,” a trader said.

An official of the district administration said that bamboo mat is just one among thousand items that they intend to manufacture in the bamboo cluster villages.

“We aim to set up plyboard industries in the district’s bamboo villages. Individuals can set up units, too,” the official said.

As many as 15 varieties of bamboo and five varieties of cane grow in the forests of Karbi Anglong.