Bamboo flowering

Almost the entire north-eastern hilly region is beset with an ecological phenomenon which portends food insecurity and its consequential socio-economic repercussions.

Bamboo trees, which abound in this region, have begun flowering, something that happens once after every 30 to 50 years, and people fear that it will lead to famine.

This is because bamboo flowering invariably causes an unusual spurt in the population of rats, who devour foodgrain crops, causing food scarcity. The bamboo flowers and seeds are believed to enhance the fertility of female rodents.

Though there is hardly any danger of food shortage even if the crops fail, the tribal people of the north-east are unconvinced and many of them are reported to have started migrating to other areas.

Fortunately, the governments of the north-eastern states have not been caught unawares on this count. That the bamboo, especially its Muli Bambo species, would begin flowering has been known for about two years and planning for combating it has also begun.

But the actual action on these plans falls far short of the requirement. Some of the states have requested the Centre to position additional foodgrain stocks there to ward off any food scarcity. The Arunachal Pradesh government has offered an incentive to people to kill rats. It will give Rs 2 for each rat-tail produced by them.

However, such gimmicks are unlikely to solve the problem or instil confidence in people. Many of them still remember the last bamboo bloom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, peaking in 1959, and its unsvoury consequences. Though measures like money-for-rat-tail were taken even then, the situation had gone out of control.

In fact, the disillusionment and ire of the people had resulted in the Mizo National Famine Front, a voluntary relief organisation, changing itself into the rebellious political outfit Mizo National Front.

Thus, what is needed is something more concrete than such peripheral measures. Fortunately, this problem is not insurmountable and there is still time for worthwhile action.

For, the maximum flowering is expected to occur in the next two years, when the menace will be at its peak. A smart strategy can convert this ecological nightmare into an opportunity for the economic development of the region by putting in place infrastructure for a gainful utilisation of the vast bamboo resources of this region.

Out of an estimated 12,000 sq km of bamboo plantations affected by flowering in the forests of this region, a sizable part is in the physically accessible areas where these plants could be extracted and processed for value addition.

Of course, the local communities have to be involved in a big way in this task to provide them employment and income. They need to be equipped with hand tools, machine tools and the marketing avenues for extracting bamboos and making products like "agarbati" sticks, tooth picks, bamboo mats, furniture and household items, decorative products and others.

Even the paper- and pulp-manufacturing industry can be encouraged to come up in the area. The export potential of semi-processed bamboo items, such as high-density pulp, also needs to be explored and exploited.

However, the Centre would have to bear the bulk of the expenses, considering the poor financial condition of most of these states.