Bhopal : The Forest Department will plant bamboo in an area of 4000 hectares in the year 2020. This area includes 2400 hectare forest area and 1600 hectare private land of farmers. As many 17 lakh 56 thousand bamboo saplings will be planted in the state in this financial year, on which an amount of about Rs 25 crore will be spent. This information was given in the review meeting of Madhya Pradesh Bamboo Mission held in Mantralaya today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Chief Minister Shri Chouhan gave instructions in the meeting that activities should be expanded to provide more benefits to bamboo growers. He said that bamboo has many uses. Bamboo is used not only in housing construction, furniture but also in food and drink. Activities to benefit bamboo producers should be increased.
Chief Minister Shri Chouhan told to make a plan and work to increase the profit on bamboo production per hectare. He directed to increase the activities of the mission. Currently beneficiaries earn between 12 and 19 thousand annually from bamboo plantation in the state. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan gave instructions to increase it. He said that since bamboo plant takes more time to grow, efforts should be made to provide more benefits to the beneficiaries associated with bamboo plantation. Financial benefits of additional production should be given to the Joint Forest Management Committees assisting in the work of improvement of bamboo forests under CAMPA scheme. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that the action plan for tree plantation should also be finalized in the coming monsoon. It was informed at the meeting that this year the Forest Department and the Forest Development Corporation have set a target of planting 3 crore 50 lakh saplings in the state.
It was informed that the Forest Department and Panchayat and Rural Development have planned to work jointly for the implementation and management of bamboo planting projects in MNREGA. Detailed guidelines in this regard are being sent to the districts. A contract of agreement has been signed between Joint Forest Management Committee and Self Help Groups for bamboo plantation. Under MNREGA scheme bamboo plantation will be undertaken in 500 hectare forest area.. 80 percent of the product will go to self-help groups and 20 percent to the Joint Forest Management Committee.
It was informed in the meeting that Madhya Pradesh has about six lakh 50 thousand hectare area of bamboo rakba. Madhya Pradesh State Bamboo Mission (Society) was formed on July 3, 2013 in the state. Madhya Pradesh Bamboo and Bamboo Crafts Development Board was formed under the mission to advise in matters of bamboo craftsmen. The mission is working to increase productivity of bamboo forests in the state and to overcome the difficulties of marketing bamboo products.
State Bamboo Mission will work in 22 districts, CAMPA branch in 3 districts, Forest Development Corporation in 8 districts, Joint Forest Management in 5 districts, Development Branch in 2 districts and Green India Mission in 5 districts. Members of about 200 self-help groups will be engaged in bamboo plantation work under MNREGA and CAMPA. The Union Government has given permission to use the last year’s amount of Rs 13 crore 27 lakh in this financial year.
Chief Secretary Shri Iqbal Singh Bains, Additional Chief Secretary Panchayat and Rural Development Shri Manoj Shrivastava, Principal Secretary Forests Shri Ashok Barnwal, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief of Forest Force Dr. U. Prakasham and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Executive Officer, State Bamboo Mission, Dr. Abhay Kumar Patil were present in the meeting.
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