Stroke of the pen reform is critical since in many cases policy is dastardly and change is laggard. The essential element is to find a big-ticket item that can have an impact on a scale and at a pace that are needed. Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh’s letter addressed to all chief ministers clarifying that bamboo is grass and not timber is one such item.
I have already explained why bamboo should be treated as grass. It grows like weed and because of its high productivity and versatility in terms of use, it has the potential to create huge economic wealth. So if you put bamboo in the hands of people, to grow, to harvest and to add value, you would be putting wealth in their hands.
But policy was reluctant to make this change. The Indian Forest Act had over time categorised bamboo as timber, which meant the forest department had a monopoly on it. Those who grew bamboo in their backyard could not harvest or sell this productive grass without permission from the forest department.
Even as activist Anna Hazare’s movement against corruption takes the country by storm, we must make the connection. It is a cumbersome policy that creates opportunities for corruption and harassment. It is a policy that must be reformed. In this case, ordinary people in villages and forests got the permission to cut bamboo only after they had greased many palms and fought many battles. In most states, a tree owner needs a “transit pass” to cut bamboo. It requires tree owners to obtain revenue records and then apply to the collector or the forest department for permission to cut. It requires up to 10 different departmental permissions and many visits to the “headquarters”. So, the way out is to find a well-heeled contractor who can pay his way through the system and facilitate the transaction. In all this, the person who grows the tree is shortchanged. There is no incentive to use trees or grass as an income-generating activity. Nobody grows trees. The environment loses.
This could change now. Ramesh’s letter makes it clear that the Forest Rights Act has changed the legal regime governing bamboo. The Act, passed in 2006, has “vested the right of ownership, access to collect, use and dispose of minor forest product [MFP]” in tribals and other traditional forest dwellers. It has also defined bamboo as an MFP. The letter asks the chief ministers to direct their forest administration to treat bamboo as an MFP and to “respect the rights accrued to communities”.
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A lot more remains to be done to ensure bamboo is treated as grass. Ultimately, it is the change in governance systems that will alter the way we do business with our people and our environment. Environmentalist Anil Agarwal had said unless we promote governance systems based on public participation and transparency, we will not get rid of corruption.
It is this governance system that will now have to be worked on so that it facilitates people’s empowerment, and checks graft and over-extraction. The minister’s letter takes a bold step in this direction by saying that the gram sabha (village assembly) will have the right to issue transit passes for bamboo grown in forests where community rights have been declared or on private land. This is the beginning of a big-ticket reform.
Just consider the potential. The Indian paper industry needs massive quantities of raw material and bamboo is the best source for pulp. Over the years, with bamboo defined as timber, industry and forest departments have worked on contractual arrangements to make bamboo and other wood available to the industry at throwaway prices. Large parts of forests have been leased to the industry. This has led to deforestation and, in turn, a crippling shortage of the raw material for the industry. More importantly, this policy has ended up discounting the value of trees grown by farmers. Our analysis shows India needs 1.5 million hectares of tree-bamboo land to supply the raw material to the paper and pulp industry.
The industry can now source this from small landholders or villagers with community forest rights. It will have to pay the market value, which will increase the cost of raw materials marginally. But at the same time, this buyer-seller relationship will put money directly in the hands of people, reducing the need for development assistance, which also comes at a high transaction cost. Growing trees can be a business for growth.
I call this big-ticket because this move can help economies get rid of the growth-without-jobs syndrome. This is the new green growth model that the world is desperately seeking. It will create opportunities to build economic wealth from regeneration of forests, and more importantly, create inclusive and equitable wealth as well as ensure well-being. Bamboo in forests and in the hands of people is about that big reform for a green tomorrow. Let’s hope we grab the potential.