<p>Nearly 4,000 hectares of farmers’ land have been brought under bamboo cultivation in Karnataka in the past four years. Mostly grown on fallow land, which are not fit for growing other crops, this supergrass is seen as a potential crop to stall deforestation and supplement farm income.</p>.<p>Farmer Nagendra Sagar from Shivamogga has grown over 100 plants of the Stocksii bamboo variety on his 2.5 acres of land in the last three years. He grows other varieties like gigantic bamboo, velvet leaf bamboo and Indian timber bamboo as well.</p>.<p>“If we take care of bamboo for three years initially, we can get the income and yield for the next 60 years. Except for elephants, no animal damages the crop. However, we should be careful as bamboo is inflammable,” he says.</p>.<p>Bamboo, which acts as a valuable carbon sink, grows fast and provides raw material for various industries like plywood, charcoal and furniture.</p>.<p>Bamboo products are proving to be an alternative to plastics, metal and wood. Foldable lamp shades, furniture for schools and offices, hangers, coffee-tea mugs, earbuds, pens, bicycles, sunglasses, watches, laptop tables and combs etc are being made with bamboo.</p>.<p>“Nowadays, people buy slim and flat-pack furniture like foldable dining tables made of bamboo to assemble them easily at home. Many use woven mats, baskets and dustbins,” says Susanth C S, head of the Centre for Bamboo Initiatives at the National Institute of Design in Bengaluru.</p>.<p>Bamboo plants prevent soil erosion and can be used in ethanol production.</p>.<p>Nagendra Sagar and three others have formed Bamboo Shoots and Wood, a private company that works with small industries. The organisation helps 120 farmers from Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Udupi and Gadag in growing bamboo.</p>.<p>To facilitate the cultivation of bamboo in large areas, the National Bamboo Mission has built tissue culture-based labs that can raise 10 lakh tissue culture-based seedlings in a year.</p>.<p>Farmers are provided with an incentive of Rs 50,000 for every hectare of land to grow bamboo.</p>.<p>Bamboo waste processing machines and splitting machines have been installed in Chikkamagaluru, Chamarajanagar and Dharwad to support local artisans.</p>.<p>Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests G V Ranga Rao says, “We encourage farmers to grow bamboo on soils with moderate salinity in fallow land, which are not fit for growing other crops.”</p>.<p>Experts say the bamboo market is expected to grow more if emphasis is given to skill development, innovative design and branding.</p>
<p>Nearly 4,000 hectares of farmers’ land have been brought under bamboo cultivation in Karnataka in the past four years. Mostly grown on fallow land, which are not fit for growing other crops, this supergrass is seen as a potential crop to stall deforestation and supplement farm income.</p>.<p>Farmer Nagendra Sagar from Shivamogga has grown over 100 plants of the Stocksii bamboo variety on his 2.5 acres of land in the last three years. He grows other varieties like gigantic bamboo, velvet leaf bamboo and Indian timber bamboo as well.</p>.<p>“If we take care of bamboo for three years initially, we can get the income and yield for the next 60 years. Except for elephants, no animal damages the crop. However, we should be careful as bamboo is inflammable,” he says.</p>.<p>Bamboo, which acts as a valuable carbon sink, grows fast and provides raw material for various industries like plywood, charcoal and furniture.</p>.<p>Bamboo products are proving to be an alternative to plastics, metal and wood. Foldable lamp shades, furniture for schools and offices, hangers, coffee-tea mugs, earbuds, pens, bicycles, sunglasses, watches, laptop tables and combs etc are being made with bamboo.</p>.<p>“Nowadays, people buy slim and flat-pack furniture like foldable dining tables made of bamboo to assemble them easily at home. Many use woven mats, baskets and dustbins,” says Susanth C S, head of the Centre for Bamboo Initiatives at the National Institute of Design in Bengaluru.</p>.<p>Bamboo plants prevent soil erosion and can be used in ethanol production.</p>.<p>Nagendra Sagar and three others have formed Bamboo Shoots and Wood, a private company that works with small industries. The organisation helps 120 farmers from Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Udupi and Gadag in growing bamboo.</p>.<p>To facilitate the cultivation of bamboo in large areas, the National Bamboo Mission has built tissue culture-based labs that can raise 10 lakh tissue culture-based seedlings in a year.</p>.<p>Farmers are provided with an incentive of Rs 50,000 for every hectare of land to grow bamboo.</p>.<p>Bamboo waste processing machines and splitting machines have been installed in Chikkamagaluru, Chamarajanagar and Dharwad to support local artisans.</p>.<p>Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests G V Ranga Rao says, “We encourage farmers to grow bamboo on soils with moderate salinity in fallow land, which are not fit for growing other crops.”</p>.<p>Experts say the bamboo market is expected to grow more if emphasis is given to skill development, innovative design and branding.</p>