Introduction 2017 Chapter I Introduction Bamboo is a versatile, perennial plantation crop belonging to woody grass of family Poaceae sub family Bambusoideae. For generations’ together bamboo has been used by the rural communities in the developing world for food, building material, cash income, furniture, crafts and so many uses to support their lively hood. It is widely distributed in tropical, subtropical and mild temperate regions of the world. Since sixteen countries in Asia reported a total of 24 million hectares of bamboo resources while five African countries have been reported 2.8 million hectares of bamboo resources. It is estimated that ten Latin American countries have over 10 million hectares of bamboo resources, of the world is total about 37 million hectares or roughly 1 per cent of the global forest area. However, the figures represent only rough estimates and include pure bamboo forests; bamboo is always found to be growing in association with other species of plants. India and China are main contributors for the bamboo resources of the world. India occupies 43% of the world bamboo resources, while China stands second with 30% of bamboo resources. China is the largest producer of bamboo stocks while India stands the second largest producer of bamboos after China (Lobovikov et al ., 2007) (Fig: 1). Bamboo resources in China are mainly distributed in ten provinces in subtropical and sub temperate regions. In China both the monopodial and sympodial species are used. Anji bamboo development is a role model for all Asian and South African countries (Wang, 2006). In India, in spite of its varied climate and geography, bamboo is available in all the states except Jammu and Kashmir. There are 18 Genera and 150 species have been reported from India.(Seethalakshmi et al., 1998). China has 39 Genera and 500 species (Zhu et al., 2015). Bamboo is a multifaceted perennial grass. Bamboo occurs basically in forest and classified under Minor Forest Product category. It has tested and proven characters which gave it the status of the excellent replacement of wood in tropical and subtropical countries. Even though India has largest area under bamboo in the world, China has superseded India in all the norms for the per unit yield, per capita returns, export of bamboo based products and utilisation of bamboos (INBAR, 2013). 1 Introduction 2017 Fig. 1: Bamboo Growing Areas of the world Bamboo is an integral part of forestry, but it is also widely spread outside forests, including farmlands, riverbanks, roadsides and urban areas. It is quickly changing its image from the “poor man’s tree” to a high-tech, industrial raw material and is being 2 Introduction 2017 used as substitute for wood. Bamboo is an increasingly important economic asset in poverty eradication and economic and environmental development. It has always played an important economic and cultural role in Asian countries. Now the use of bamboo is growing rapidly in Latin America and Africa as well. In some countries, the processing of bamboo is shifting from low-end crafts and utensils to high-end, value- added commodities such as laminated panels, boards, pulp, paper, mats, prefabricated houses, cloth and bamboo shoots (Lobovikov et al ., 2007). The use of every part provides the opportunity for using bamboo in several ways; from simple support system in construction industry to household goods to industrial products to alcohol to architectural structures. There are more than 1500 reported uses of bamboo. The significant uses are Handicrafts, Paper and Pulp, Furniture making, Ply board manufacturing, Lumber production, Agarbattis and Chopsticks, Venetian Blinds ,Activated Carbon, Coal, Vinegar, Bio char , Energy production in the form electricity , industrial alcohol, Antioxidants, Medicines and so on. Bamboo is a plant with woody characters and almost every part of it can be used (Fig..2). In spite of the tremendous uses of bamboo, still Bamboo is considered as an ‘orphan crop ‘and largely ignored and /or given minor status by the main land holding agencies, like forestry and agriculture. (Sastry, 2008). The rapid growth in the use of bamboo in Asian, South American and African countries is proved that bamboo is one of the best sustainable, non-forest products. Even though it was known for several years, bamboo resources of the world were surveyed recently in 1980. One of the first attempts to assess bamboo resources on a global scale was carried out by FAO and the United Nations Environment Programme as part of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 1980; it covered 13 countries known to possess substantial bamboo resources. (FRA, 1980). China has adapted a methodology for utilising almost 80% of individual bamboo for making one or the other products. Utilization of each and every part of bamboo and production on very large scale resulted in keeping the cost of bamboo products at lower level in the international market (Zhu et al 2015). 3 Introduction 2017 Fig. 2: Bamboo, its parts and utility (Zhu, 2015). Wang, in 2006, has reported the tenure system of the Asian countries and commented that the increasing public awareness is the need for forestprotection. The European countries have imposed the total ban on forest cutting. There is increasing demand for forest products throughout the world from huge populations and the income generation requirements from the forest.People of many countries have been realized that non- forest products can be a good source to rural livelihoods requirements. With the many inherent characters like fast growth, less requirement for the intensive management, long lasting life cycle and natural regeneration capacity bamboo proved that it is the best source of income for the low-income rural communities with very little investment and technology. Its potential to raise living standards is being recognized, with several countries working to find ways to utilize bamboo resources for sustainable development. International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) is the major driving force behind this. 4 Introduction 2017 Bamboo occurs naturally in most of the South China except in the very high mountains and the driest areas. Bamboo has two clearly distinguished uses in China viz bamboo culms and bamboo shoots.Bamboo culms which have special properties and are used in construction scaffolding, mats, handicrafts, furniture, and other forest products such as bamboo particle board, ply bamboo, bamboo flooring, pulp and paper etc. Bamboo shoots are being used as traditional edible vegetable and considered a superior commodity. The Anji County of Zhejiang province of China is an excellent example for the ultimate use of bamboo in the world. It lies in sub-temperate zone and the original bamboo of this area is Phyllostachys pubescence Mazel . The development of bamboo growing techniques enhanced methodology for high yield per unit area, advancement in processing technology, conversion of bamboo waste into various by products, development of the pre-processing of green bamboo, the facilities created and provided by government, and successful aggressive marketing from grass root level brought Anji County at the top of world bamboo trade (Zhu et al ., 2015). India is primarily a rural country with about three-quarters of its population residing in its 600,000 villages. Out of these, 170,000 villages with a total population of 147 million are located in the vicinity of forests (FSI, 1999). A vast majority of the Indian population depends on forests for meeting basic needs of fuel wood, fodder, small timber for agricultural implements and house construction, food, and medicines. According to census of 1991, the total of poor people was 253 million i.e. 30% of the population, and it was estimated that four out of five poor lived in rural areas. Hence, there is a tremendous pressure on forests from large human and livestock populations (Saigal et al ., 2002). As mentioned above, India is the second largest country next to China in terms of the importance of bamboo. In India natural bamboo forests are estimated to be 10.03 million ha (Vaiphei, 2005). About two–third of the total bamboo area of the country is located in northeast India. Thirty-five per cent of the total bamboo removed is used for making pulp, and for housing and rural uses account for 20% each (Saigal et al ., 2002 and Anonymous, 2011). 5 Introduction 2017 According to a report of UNDP (2004), in India, the large standing resource of bamboo available in forests is generally not available to the local craft persons due to the cumbersome laws. The major forest bamboo resources are made available to the pulp and paper Industry. During last few years the situation has changed due to relief from the restrictions on cutting and transport of bamboos. While there is a tradition in many parts of the country for small-scale homestead cultivation of bamboo for self- consumption, the commercial cultivation of bamboo is not normally found(Kant, 2005). Recently, inception of National Bamboo Mission (NBM) and National Mission for Bamboo Applications (NMBA), the promotion of bamboo cultivation was started (Anonymous, 2004).Thus, currently the bamboo economy is largely unorganized, though it is an essential component of the subsistence economy of bamboo-dependent populations, the private cultivation is not yet accelerated with proper rate(Chincholkar, 2017). It is estimated that India has utilized only a tenth of its bamboo-producing potential. The commercial consumption of bamboo globally is worth around $10 billion, which was expected to reach $20 billion by 2015. India's share of this global market is estimated at $1 billion while China's share is currently the highest at $5 billion. Present scenario indicates that most of bamboo is located on government owned lands. The private sector has been succeeded because they have the incentive to grow bamboo for their own internal consumption (Wang, 2006).