The Arunachal Governor’s decision to take up at the NEC plenary meet in Shillong the case of bamboo is on the right track. The classification of bamboo as a tree for over 90 years had affected its commercial exploitation in the North East which grows nearly 70 per cent of bamboos in the country. In the case of Arunachal the farmers grow 32 varieties of bamboos mostly edible while 44 species grow naturally. 

The Budget 2018 had ignited new hope for bamboo growers of the region as the government had earmarked over Rs. 1200 crore for the National Bamboo Mission.  Bamboo being a versatile grass, its usage ranges from being a food item to a construction material. The innumerous bamboo bridges across the length and breadth of the North Eastern states stand testimony to this.

While the “tree tag” had prevented the tribal people from using bamboos in forest lands, lack of policy support discouraged the commercial exploitation of bamboo unlike in China, which is the number one producer of bamboos in the world. India comes a close second.

Called the green gold, the bamboo cartels have also been wantonly destroying the bamboo groves for paper mills. Many of the local governments have been hand-in-glove with these cartels handing them bamboos at cheap royalties while enriching themselves. Many of the paper mills which set up shops in the region has now downed their shutters as supply of bamboo has diminished.

It is thus imperative that the concerned governments of the region put up a strong and united show at the plenary session to save the bamboos of the North East as it is an inalienable part of the lives of the tribal people as well as a source of sustenance. On the other hand, the Arunachal Pradesh government had made a good beginning along with Manipur government when the two states signed an agreement to supply bamboos to the Numaligarh Refinery’s upcoming bio-refinery. In this context the Governor's suggestion to set up a bamboo research centre in the state has to be seriously pleaded with the Centre. Moreover, the research should also focus on "Mautam" (bamboo flowering), a phenomenon which takes place every fifty years or so.