In this article we will discuss about:- 1. Introduction to Bamboo in the Indian Pulp Industry 2. Distribution and Growing Bamboo Stock in Indian Pulp Industry 3. Utilisation of Bamboo in Indian Pulp Industry 4. Bamboo Areas and Yields in India 5. Bamboo’s Past Systems of Working 6. Potential of India for Improvement in Bamboo Yield 7. Bamboo Plantations in India 8. Government Forest Policies.
Contents:
- Introduction to Bamboo in the Indian Pulp Industry
- Distribution and Growing Bamboo Stock in Indian Pulp Industry
- Utilisation of Bamboo in Indian Pulp Industry
- Bamboo Areas and Yields in India
- Bamboo’s Past Systems of Working
- Potential of India for Improvement in Bamboo Yield
- Bamboo Plantations in India
- Government Forest Policies
1. Introduction to Bamboo in the Indian Pulp Industry:
Bamboos are spread over an estimated eleven million ha. of forests in India. There are 20 genera and over 135 species from sea level to nearly 3,000 m. There are species suited to different agro-climatic condition. The annual output of bamboo is estimated at about 4.6 million tonne of which about 1.9 million tonne is used by pulp industries.
Three major species constitute 83% of the total bamboo output. Bamboos are found in association with tropical deciduous hardwood trees. Bamboos have been in use since 1963 in the manufacture of pulp and paper. With a humble beginning of 40,000 tonne of paper production p.a. in 1936; the current installed capacity of paper and board is 2.8 million tonne p.a. Use of bamboo for pulping has declined over the years from about 73.5% in 1952 to 26.53% in 1988.
One Rayon Grade Pulp Mill uses bamboo as part of raw material. There is large deficit of good quality pulpwood for sustenance of installed capacities of pulp newsprint and paper. The current per capita consumption of paper in India is as low as 2 kg. Projected demands for paper, paper boards and newsprint show that the shortage of raw material for pulp and news print production will rise from 6.44 million tonne in 1990 to 20.28 million tonne by the year 2015. This gap will strain the scarce foreign exchange by Rs.7,740 million in 1990 and Rs. 64,190 million by 2015.
Bamboo yields are about 0 40 tonne per ha. p.a. This can be easily increased 4 to 5 times in about 5-6 years if scientific harvesting, protection to clumps from fire, grazing and biotic influence’s and silvicultural tending of clumps etc. are practiced in bamboo plantations on a fraction of vast stretches of available wastelands.
These measures will not only wipe out deficits in the supply of raw material to pulp industries, but will generate rural employment and meet the need of rural poor for fodder, fuel, fencing, housing, agriculture, packaging, housing and so on. The forest policy revised in December, 1988 deserves to be modified to provide incentives to wasteland development through bamboo cultivation.
In tropical countries like India, bamboo forms the largest single renewable raw material resource for the pulp industries. India is rich in the distribution of bamboo, both by area and number of species, next only to China. Since the availability of softwood is limited to the unstable slopes of the Himalayas, naturally grown softwood is hardly available for pulping. Further, there is some resistance by the environmental lobby to monoculture of large scale tropical pines for pulpwood.
Bamboo being naturally widespread in forests and farms from the peninsular sea coast to over 3000 m. elevation in the Himalayas, and in view of quick establishment and growth to permit repeated harvests at short intervals, is the best alternative to pine for paper pulp in view of high cellulosic content and higher fibre length in comparison to most natural broad leaf trees of the country.
2. Distribution and Growing Bamboo Stock in Indian Pulp Industry:
Bamboo grows on about 11 million ha. The extent of bamboo described by Trotter in his book “Indian Forest Utilisation” over four decades ago has undergone many changes. A few states have come out with status reports on bamboo during the last decade.
Bamboo is spread over about 13% of the forest area of the country. The current estimated growing stock is about 150 million tonne. It is estimated that 83% of the total growing stock comprises three main species viz, Dendrocalamus strictus 53%; Bambusa arundinacea (B. bamboos); 15% Melocanna baccifera 15%.
The north eastern region of the country accounts for 50% of the bamboo production. Many of the tropical and semi-temperate bamboo are tall; most of the bamboos of the alpine region are thin and short.
Bamboos in the forest generally occupy the second canopy level and are abundant in the moist and dry deciduous forests. Their natural associates comprise many tree species like Teak, Tectona grandis, Laurael, Terminalia tomentosa, T. paniculata, Benteak, Lagerstroemia lanceolata. Anogeissus sp, Yellow teak, Adina cordifolia etc. Bambusa arundinacea occupy moister pockets of the forests like vallies, river banks etc., Dendrocalamus strictus is tolerant to varied climates and soil and can be found abundantly on hill caps, an slopes in the rainfall zone from barely 450 mm rainfall to 3500 mm p.a. Bamboo occupy the slopes (200 m) quickly after shifting cultivation all over North East Indian Hills.
Bamboos are abundantly grown: along water courses boundaries of fields, homesteads and in pockets of rice fields in many states of India. Bamboo cultivation is popular in parts of Assam. Bihar, Orissa. Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra etc. The species preferred by the farmers are Dendrocalamus strictus, D. hamiltone, Oxytenanthera stocksii, Bambusa balcoa, B. nutans, B. tulda, B. polymarpha etc.
3. Utilisation of Bamboo in Indian Pulp Industry:
Over 50% of the annual bamboo production is used for fencing, housing, agricultural implements, weaving, fishing, etc. Annual average quantity of bamboo used in pulping is 1.9 million tonne. The pulp mills can use more, but the availability is limited.
Some woven sheets are used is manufacture of bamboo ply board. Only one rayon grade pulp mill exists and uses 40,000 mt of bamboo per annum. Among the pulp mills using forest raw materials, bamboo constitutes 60% to 70% of the raw material and the rest comprises: mixed hardwoods, agricultural residues, recycled paper, imported pulp, bags etc.
(a) Pulp and Paper Industries:
The production of paper and board in India started in 1936 with a capacity of only 40,000 tonnes p.a. it has gradually increased and by 1988 the total installed capacity of paper and board reached 2,867 million tonnes p.a. In addition, the installed capacity for production of newsprint is 0.332 million tonne.
Though, there has been a rapid increase in the installed capacity for manufacture of paper and board from 1,538 million tonnes to 2.867 tonne between 1980 and 1988, the utilization percentage of the capacity has gradually fallen from 72.3% in 1980 to 59.3% in 1988. The main cause for the fall in production is the unavailability of raw material.
There has been no increase in the availability of bamboo estimated at 1.9 million tonne p.a. This is likely, to reduce further due to recent change in the forest policy from that of sustained yield management to total conservation for maintenance of biodiversity.
(b) Newsprint:
Production of newsprint in India has always been short of demand. The installed capacity of newsprint during 1980 was a meager 68,000 tonne per annum and the production was 45,000 tonne. The installed capacity rose to 223,000 by 1984 with production of 194,000 tonne. By 1988 the installed capacity, has reached 332,000 tonne and production during the year has been 316,000 tonne.
(c) Rayon Grade Pulp:
There are five rayon grade pulp units in India with an installed capacity of 0.23 million tonne. Except for one mill utilising about 40,000 tonne of bamboo, most of the raw material for Rayon Grade Pulp consists of mixed hardwoods of which Eucalyptus, Casuarina and Acacia from plantations form the strain sources of supply. The Rayon grade pulp industry can switch over to increasing use of bamboo provided there are adequate sources of supply.
(d) Pulp Mills and their Capacities:
The existing number of mills producing pulp, newsprint, paper and rayon pulp with their installed capacities as on 01-01-1989 is given in Table 3.
Some 75 mills in different categories are closed, and account for a loss of production to the extent of 625,000 tonne. Most pulp and paper mills with higher installed capacity use bamboo in some percentage or other depending on annual availability.
(e) Projected Demands:
The compounded rate of growth for the demand of paper and board between 1980 and 1988 has been 5.5% p.a. and that of newsprint is 74%. It is a matter of concern that per capital consumption of paper in India is only 2 kg. As against about 200 kg in most advanced countries. Considering the literacy drive and increase in population, the projected increase in demand, for both paper and newsprint is expected to maintain certain rate of growth. Demand projections have been made of these two important products on the following compounded growth rates for the period upto 2015 as shown in Table 4.
Based on these projections, the production expected to meet the demand and forest raw material required is given in Table 5.
Remarks:
2.8 tonne of wood per tonne of paper, and 2 tonne of bamboo per tonne of newsprint is used as raw material. The availability of forest raw material during the year 1988-89 has been 1.31 million tonne of wood air dry and 1.9 million tonne of bamboo air dry total 3.21 mt. In view of the lack of concerted effort in raising pulpwood plantations or improvement to bamboo yields, there is no chance of any improvement in availability of forest raw materials for pulp mills.
The revised forest policy declared by the Government of India in December, 1988 is likely to reduce supply to mills from forest sources. It can be seen that the deficit in availability of indigenous raw material is 100% of production level of 1990 and will rise to 630% by the year 2015.
(f) Foreign Exchange:
The deficit of raw material has to be made good either by import of wood, waste paper or pulp. On the basis of current exchange rate and price of these commodities, this import and the extent of foreign exchange needed to fill the gap in demand is estimated in Table 6.
Considering the current situation on the balance of payments, there is no possibility of permitting such huge drain of exchange earning on import of pulp.
4. Bamboo Areas and Yields in India:
It is seen that over 11 million/ha. of natural bamboo exist in India. The yield of about 4.5 million tonne p.a. for such large areas is too law. Even if a base conservative increment of one tonne per ha./ p.a. is considered, the annual output of bamboo should be 11 million tonne. Considering that 50% of this yield goes to non-pulp uses and about 25% is in areas outside the catchment of mills, the availability of bamboo should be about 2.75 million tonne as against the current supply of 1.9 million tonne.
The fall in the yield is due to unscientific harvesting, neglect of the basic silvicultural needs of bamboo clumps, lack of cultural operations, damage to regeneration and clumps of bamboo by cattle, fire etc., damage to new shoots by men and animals etc.
No systematic large scale efforts have been made to improve the bamboo growing stock or raise bamboo plantations. It has been experimentally proven that bamboo yields from natural bamboo forests can be more than doubled by (a) proper methods of harvest, (b) working up the soil around the base of natural bamboo clumps, (c) providing protection from growing, fire and biotic damage. Further, increase in yields can be achieved by adopting water conservation measures and application of fertilizer. Bamboo plantations can be established in a short span of 5-6 years and biennial harvest of 3-4 tonne per ha. can be achieved easily.
It is indeed regrettable that investments in such simple methods of increasing bamboo yield are not forth coming from the user industries or the state Government which owns the forests, to provide for, or allow or encourage investments to improve bamboo yields from the forests. An analysis of the system of working and control of forest yields is necessary to understand the aggravating problems.
5. Bamboo’s Past Systems of Working:
Bamboos were considered as weeds in the forest event till, 1950’s. Naturally available bamboo clumps in the forest were considered as an inexhaustible resource not needing any attention.
Vast stretches of forest blocks were given on lease to certain pulp mills-to harvest bamboo in felling cycles of 3 or 4 years on simple prescription of:
(a) Retaining the minimum number of 6-8 culms in each clump during cyclic felling,
(b) Felling all bamboo of age above two years and
(c) Protecting the leased block from fire during working.
The lessee mills arranged for-felling, collection and transport of bamboo on annual contracts fixed on the basis of lowest rates quoted.
This resulted in:
(a) Over felling in easily accessible and areas in close proximity of the mills,
(b) Removal of easily harvestable top portions of clumps leaving the clump base congested stifling new recruitment,
(c) Lack of any attention to silvicultural needs of space, moisture, nutrients for better growth,
(d) Total lack of protection from biotic factors and fire etc. all of which contributed to gradual impoverishment of clumps and reduction in their incidence and yields.
Responsibility for tending the harvested bamboo forests available was neither taken by the owner state nor enforced on the losses. Scantly and inadequate provision was made to increase bamboo production areas by artificial regeneration.
6. Potential of India for Improvement in Bamboo Yield:
There are 11 million ha of National bamboo forests available in India. If bamboo are harvested scientifically and some investment is made in tending and fertilizing, it is possible to obtain a harvest of two tonne per ha. per annum for Dendrocalamus strictus and easily 3 tonne per ha. per annum for Bambusa arundinacea.
The Measures required for Improvement in Yield are:
(a) Protection from grazing and fire.
(b) Thinning of clumps.
(c) Intensive soil working around base of clumps.
(d) Water conservation measures to reduce runoff and increase percolation of rainwater to sub soils.
(e) Application of fertilizer in spring.
The expenditure on these measures is justified as the revenue resulting from higher increment will compensate for the expenses and the additional raw material obtained will rule out imports of pulp. It is possible to achieve average yield of 22 million tonne p.a. in the country, even from existing bamboo forests of which if 50% is diverted to the pulp mills it will suffice for their raw material needs.
7. Bamboo Plantations in India:
According to the figures furnished by the National Remote Sensing Agency, the effective forest cover in India is only 40 million ha. Which are less than 14% of the total land area. As against this figure, the estimated total waste lands in India, including degraded forests of 36 million ha. is about 130 million ha. Even if 5% of these degraded lands are brought under bamboo plantations in a period of 10 years, the annual planting achievable is 650,000 ha. This can give an annual increment of about two million tonne of bamboo.
If the State Governments are unable to find resources for such plantations, the beneficiary mills can always be persuaded to invest through their own resources and of bank loans if the investment and interest can be reduced from the cost of produce to be made available to the mills. At a conservative estimate of 250 man days of employment per ha. of such plantations will generate rural employment of 162.5 million man days p.a. which is nearly 2 man days per capita of our total population.
Even at a conservative estimate of 1 tonne of fuel and fodder per ha. from the branches and leaves, the annual addition to these valuable rural needs will be 0.65 million tonne, repeating and adding annually at the same quantity as long as annual targets of planting are kept up.
The ecological benefits in terms of soil and water conservation are immeasurable and infinite.
Cost of Supply and Rates:
Till mid-1950’s bamboo were considered as weeds, hence, the stumpage charged by the Forest Department varied from Rupee 1 per tonne to Rupees 12 per tonne. During the last 2-3 years the stumpage value has been Rupees 250 per tonne in respect of concessionaries. The market price paid and current price of bamboo landed at the factory is an average of Rupees 1000 per tonne.
8. Government Forest Policies:
The forest policies of the country promulgated in 1884 and 1952 had provided for the sustained yield management of forests commensurate with ecological influences of forests, and steady long term supply of available forest produce including bamboo to forest based industries on predetermined prices.
However, the revised forest policy of the Federal Government announced in December, 1988 has stipulated the preservation of forests like the “holy cow” and indicated that the wood based industries should either depend on imports or tie-up with farmers to raise their needed raw material. The policy has also suggested substitutes to wood.
It is admitted that raising of pulpwood plantations in marginal farmlands is a practical possibility to a certain extend despite legal and certain practical difficulties on flow of credit and role of industries in such tie-up arrangements. However, it is regrettable that the forest policy has ignored, studied recommendations of Government Committees appointed in 1962, 1983 and 1984 regarding measures to raise industrial plantations.
The other measures suggested like import and “substitutes” are self-defeating and impractical respectively. With such vast land resources lying degraded and uncared for, it would be most practicable to harness such lands, available precipitation and the tropical sunshine for raising renewable cellulosic fibre within the country for our pulp timber, fodder, fencing material, raw material for rural artisan cottage industries, housing needs, soil and water conservation, rural employment etc.
Bamboo are ideally suited for such efforts in view of availability of provenances and species suited to diverse climatic and edaphic conditions, fast rate of growth, repeated quick harvests and multifarious uses both to the rural poor and the industries.
Conclusion:
Bamboo is the most versatile gift of nature to the tropics. It can be easily grown in forests and farms. India is blessed with vast land resources, adequate precipitation and tropical sunshine for raising and maintaining bamboo crops suited to every climate and soil. Bamboo are as highly useful to pulp industries as they are to rural populations, cottage industries, fuel, fodder, fencing, agricultural and housing needs.
Improvement of natural bamboo stock and raising of bamboo plantations can easily make good all the deficits of cellulosic material for pulp, paper, rayon and newsprint needs of our increasing population.
Minor changes in our National Forest and Land Management Policies are required to accommodate incentives to investment by the users to bridge the gap in requirement and availability of raw material to pulp, and cottage industries with several added benefits like fodder, fencing, fuel, rural employment and protection to microclimate, soil and water.