Bamboo farming In India, market and cost

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Introduction to bamboo farming

Bamboo, also known as “green gold” or “poor man’s timber” or “wonder wood”, is one of the most prominent forestry species with extensive coverage across India.

Due to its versatile use, income generating potentiality, and environmental friendliness, bamboo and bamboo farming has captured the attention of a wide range of individuals from various sectors of society, including farmers for bamboo farming, researchers, and policy makers.

Bamboo, considered as one of the fastest growing woody plant, is a member of sub-family of Bambusoideae of Poaceae or Gramineae grass family. Bamboo is a monocotyledonous flowering plants, predominantly found in Asia and Africa.

In terms of bamboo production, India ranks second only to China. According to estimates (2019), the total area of bamboo in India is approximately 15.69 million hectares.

Bamboo cultivation in India has huge prospects because of the country’s environmental friendliness and access to sustainable resources, especially in North-East India. Bamboo species are most abundant in the deciduous and semi-evergreen forest ecosystems of North-east and the tropical moist deciduous forests of North and South India.

In this article we will focus on bamboo farming, cost associated with bamboo cultivation/farming in India, climatic conditions required for farming of bamboo, issues and challenges in bamboo agribusiness, uses of bamboo, government policies and schemes. Please use the table of content section on the top of the article to jump to your preferred topic.

Species of Bamboo in India

Around the globe, there are more than 1600 species belonging to 75 genera of bamboo.  They are unevenly distributed throughout the humid, tropical, sub-tropical and temperate regions of the planet. 

There are 125 indigenous bamboo species in India, and 11 exotic bamboo species, belonging to 23 genera.

Nearly 90 species of bamboo can be found in the hilly regions of the north-east of India, 41 of which are endemic to the region. In India, there are three large genera of bamboos (Bambusa, Dendrocalamus, and Ochlandra), each with more than ten species.

There are approximately 25 percent of the world’s bamboo species in India, scattered widely throughout the country, Spread out across geographical zones such as the western Himalaya, eastern Himalaya, northeast India, peninsular India, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Some of the bamboo species found in India are listed below in the table.

(Source : Dept. of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture,2ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation)

Geographical distribution of bamboo in India

Of all the bamboo genera that are commonly found, Bambusa is a widely distributed genus in India followed by Dendrocalamus.

Bamboos of the genus Bambosa are found naturally or under cultivation primarily in the plains and low hilly terrains of India, from the southern peninsula to the lower Himalayas. 

Dendrocalamus bamboo grows in the plains of South and Central India, as well as dry hilly areas of North India. Dendrocalamus is found in regions from Punjab to Assam , and also within other North Eastern states.

The Western Ghats and the North Eastern region are home to bambusa, Oxytenanthera, Schizostachyum and melocanna genera. North Eastern India is also home to many species of Schizostachyum, Phyllostachys, and Gigantochloa.

Following table shows the distribution of bamboo in India

Guide to bamboo farming

In this section we will have a look at the bamboo cultivation processes and various methods used for planting of bamboo. We will also be looking at some tips and tricks to increase the yield of bamboo farm.

Planting site for bamboo farming

• Site selection plays a key role in bamboo growth, survival and overall yield.
• Bamboo is best suited for cultivation in deep, fertile, porous soil with good drainage and a high level of moisture.
• Valleys, mid- and lower slopes, streams and areas along rivers, reservoirs or land around ponds and houses are typicaly considered as good sites.
• Dry and infertile soils will only yield small culms with limited economic benefits.
• Warm and tropical agricultural areas are preferred for bamboo farming.
• A minimum rainfall of 1200 mm per year is recommended for bamboo farming. ( Specifically advises for Indian bamboo farming)
• Relative humidity of 75-85% is favorable for bamboo’s optimum growth. ( Specifically advises for Indian bamboo farming)
• A region with high winds shall be avoided as heavy winds can damage the bamboo crop.
• Neutral pH level or a pH level between 5-6 is advisable for bamboo farming.

Land and soil preparation for bamboo farming

• Dense grass or shrubs should be manually weeded out or burnt before tilling.
• Although bamboo can grow in almost any soil, a neutral to slightly acidic soil is preferred for good growth of bamboo.
• The soil should be rich in organic nutrients, aerated and light in structure.
• If the soil is heavy, mix the soil with granular material like sand to improve drainage.
• Since bamboo is a shallow rooted plant, soil preparation of 50 cm or 20 inches is enough.
• The land should be tilled thoroughly till the recommended depth.
• The tilling shall be done at least 3 weeks prior to plantation of bamboo.
• Adequate amount of manure, compost and neutralized saw dust can also be added so that the soil can provide nutrition to the plant and also retain moisture.
• Make all the necessary arrangements for proper water drainage. Water logging can inversely affect the good growth of bamboo.
• Poor drainage soils can be tilled for 60 cm or 24 inches to remedy the drainage scenario.
• We can also opt to plant the bamboos in raised beds to fight the poor drainage issue.

Bamboo plantlets raising and propagation for bamboo farming

Before we more ahead with various planting methods and procedures of bamboo, lets learn a little bit about kinds of plant propagation and why one is preferred over the other.

There are two types of plant propagation: Sexual propagation and asexual propagation.

Sexual propagation is done by using seeds. But the flowering and seed generation of a bamboo tree takes almost 80 years(average, depending on the species). This makes the seeds of bamboo highly valuable commodity, and cant be used for large scale bamboo cultivation/farming.

Asexual propagation is the method widely used for bamboo propagation/plantation since it involves planting of bamboo by offsets, stumps with rhizomes, rhizomes only or culm/branch cutting.

• Propagation by branch cutting
  1. Primary or secondary branches of a 1-2 year old culm are cut.
  2. The upper portion of branch is cut leaving the branch with almost 3 nodes.
  3. The branch is dipped in rooting hormone for 24 hours.
  4. The branch is now planted on the ground with one node inside the ground.
  5. rooting will sprout in almost 20-35 days.
  6. Suitable for relatively large-size bamboo species.
  
  
• Propagation by single-node culm cutting
  1. A single node from a mature culm (2-3 years old) is cut.
  2. A node with a fresh branch emerging from it is preferred.
  3. The branches are then trimmed from the culm, and the culm is put in the soil.
  4. The culm is irrigated regularly till roots start emerging in about 2 months.
  5. Not advisable for thin walled bamboos.
  6. Efficient for thick walled bamboos such e.g. Dendrocalamus latiflorus and Dendrocalamopsis grandis.
  
  
• Propagation by two-node culm cutting
  1. Similar to single node culm, only difference being two nodes are sued instead of one.
  2. Higher plantlet survival rate than single node culm method.
  
  
• Propagation by offset method
  1. An offset is the lower part of a single culm with the rhizome axis basal to it and its roots.
  2. Planting of these is the most conventional way of propagating bamboo.
  3. The culm is cut with a slanting cut and the whole structure is dug up along with a good length of rhizome with developed buds.
  4. A healthy parent clump is used to collect offset.
  5. The rhizome is cut at the neck from the parent clump.
  6. Making sure that the rhizome has healthy buds is of highest priority.
  7. Rhizome and the attached roots shall not be damaged.
  8. To enhance the sprouting of the nodal buds, holes can be made a culm interenodes.
  9. The slant cut of the culm should be sealed with earth.
  10. This method is best suited for thick walled bamboos.
  
  
• Propagation by rhizome method
  1. Traditionally used for non clumping species of bamboos.
  2. Rhizome with roots, rhizome with culm and roots or rhizome with culm-stock and roots can be used.
  3. Months of February and March are the best time for extraction of rhizome for such propagation.
  4. A healthy young culm is preferred as an old culm will not grow with vigor.
  
  
• Propagation by micro-propagation method
  1. This process produces large amount of high quality plantlets.
  2. These are easy to transport, disease free and fast growers.
  
  

Planting bamboo for bamboo farming

• Micro-Propagation Method
  1. Pits of dimension 3x3x2 feet are dug in the land.
  2. Pits should be dug before the start of rainy season.
  3. The dug out soil is kept out of the pit for weathering.
  4. A few days prior to planting, the soil is turned in the pit.
  5. Ensuring that the root balls are not damaged, carefully remove the plant from polybag. Roots should not curl.
  6. Mulch the soil after leveling.
  7. Mix the soil in the pit with the following:

• Rhizome and seedling Method
  1. Seedlings and branch cuttings need a pit of dimensions 30x30x30 cm or 45x45x45 cm for plantation.
  2. Rhizomes and offsets will need a pit of dimensions 60x60x60 cm or 100x100x100 cm for plantation.
  3. Turn the soil of the pit few days before plantation.
  4. Remove all the weeds within 50 cm radius of the pit.
  5. Put the plant in the pit and make sure that the roots don’t curl.
  6. level and mulch the soil after planting.
  7. Irrigate the soil depending on the climate conditions. You can start with 15-20 liters of water per pit.
  8. Before planting, mix the soil with the following:

• Bund and trench method
  1. Bunds of height 50 cm and width of 1 meter are made for bamboo plantation.
  2. Trenches are dug in the rows between the bunds.
  3. The trenches can be used for irrigation.
  4. The turned soil in the trenches can be used to put on top of the bunds around the bamboo clumps to provide more nutrition.
  5. The bund and trench set up should be made well in advance before plantation so that soil gets adequate time to stabilize and take the shape.
  
  
• Spacing between bamboo plants for bamboo farming
  1. Spacing between bamboo plants varies from species to species.
  2. Thick walled species can be spaced with a distance of 5×5 meters. This will give 400 clumps/hectare or 160 clumps/acre.
  3. Larger species can have a spacing of 7×7 meters. This will yield 205 clumps/hectare or 82 clumps/acre.
  4. A spacing of 10×10 meters will give 100 clumps/hectare or 40 clumps/acre.
  5. Smaller bamboo species can be can be spaced with 3×3 meter spacing. This will allow us to grow 1100 clumps/hectare or 445 clumps/acre.
  

Irrigation of bamboo in bamboo farming

• Bamboo is generally a drought tolerant plant.
• For optimum growth of bamboo, ample water should be given to the tree.
• Make good arrangements of drainage, as water-logging will hamper the growth of the bamboo.
• Newly planted bamboo trees will need frequent watering.
• Potted bamboo plants and newly planted plants will need daily irrigation. 12-20 liters of water is enough depending on climate.
• Daily irrigation for at least 10 weeks should be practiced.
• After 10 weeks, irrigating once every 3 days is enough.
• In summers, you can irrigate once every 2 days.
• Water stressed bamboos will fail to produce shoots in the shooting season.
• Water stressed bamboos will have inward curved leaves, and might even shed the leaves if more water stress occurs.
• Drip irrigation is one of the preferred options for bamboo farming.

Fertilizers for bamboo for bamboo farming

• Bamboo is member of grass family hence much like all the grasses, bamboo is a heavy consumer of Nitrogen.
• On an average, bamboo utilizes 500-700g nitrogen, 200-250g potassium and 100-150g phosphorus per 100 kg of shoot production.
• Bamboo responds superbly to fertilizers vigorous growth and more vibrant leaves.
• It is always advisable to get the soil tested before determining amount and type of fertilizer for application on the soil.
• Even, any fertilizer which is meant to be used for grass can be used for bamboo cultivation.
• If organic compost is used, make sure that the to apply a lot of water as organic manure of compost needs watering to function as intended.
• Shooting season is the best time to apply fertilizers to bamboo farm.
• Liquid fertilizers are almost absorbed immediately.
• A general dosage routine for fertilizer application is shown below:

Bamboo crop management in bamboo farming

• Soil Loosening
  1. To improve the growth of shoots and roots of the bamboo plant, soil should be loosened around the bamboo clump.
  2. Soil 10-15 cm deep and 30-45 cm away from the bamboo clump should be loosened twice a year.
• Mulching
  1. Mulching is the process of covering the soil around the plant with organic materials like leaves or inorganic materials so that the evaporation of water can be reduced from thee soil around the plant.
  2. Mulch acts as an insulator between soil and the environment.
  3. In bamboo farming, fallen bamboo leaves are good for mulching.
  4. Bark, compost and saw dust are also considered as a good mulching materials.
  5. The thickness of mulch can be 5 – 15 cm.
  6. In severe winter regions, a mulch thickness of 30 cm is advisable.
• Mounding
  1. Heaping loose and fresh soil around the base of the plant is called mounding.
  2. As the rhizome travels up towards the surface to grow a new shoot, direct sunlight can halt its process of emergence of new shoot. Mounding can remedy this issue.
• Weeding
  1. Weeding in bamboo farming should be done at least for the first 2 years of bamboo planting.
  2. After the bamboo clumps mature, the leaf shed by bamboo can act as an inhibitor for emergence of weed.
• Pruning
  1. Pruning in bamboo farming helps in good aeration of the bamboo clump by removing the congestion in the clump.
  2. 2nd and 3rd year of the clump required mild pruning.
  3. 4th year onward, heavy pruning shall be practiced as more leaves span as the clump matures.
  4. December and January are the preferred months for pruning in bamboo farming.
  5. Pruning should be done well before the start of shooting season.
  6. The cut/pruned part of the bamboo never grows back.
  7. Culm of bamboo are pruned by cutting just above the culm node.
  8. Similarly branches can be pruned just above the branch node.
  9. “Topping” is act of pruning bamboo from the top to maintain the desired height of the bamboo plant.
  10. Pruning is not only beneficial for the health of the bamboo but also increases aesthetics of the bamboo clump.
• Cleaning
  1. Removal of badly shaped culms or week culms or culms obstructing the access to stronger and better culms inside the bamboo clump is called cleaning.
  2. February and March is a good time to start clump cleaning as the bamboo has come out of the dormancy phase and is ready to tolerate the stress of cleaning and is ready for active growth cycle again.

Harvesting bamboo in bamboo farming

• It is important to examine and select the clump before cutting operations begin.
• A slated cut should be used to cut the culm. This ensures that rainwater, debris, and twigs do not collect in the uncut portion above the final node, preventing the likelihood of fungus, parasites, and insects breeding.
• It is recommended that the culm be harvested by cutting at least 2 nodes above the ground. This minimizes the risk of damaging the rhizome in harvesting process.
• Harvesting will be easier and more efficient if maturity marking is followed.
• Harvesting selected culms will be simpler if branches extending from the lower nodes of the culms are removed.
• Bamboo culms should be harvested every year to ensure regular, healthy culm production. Harvesting bamboo culms annually will stimulate the growth of new shoots.
•  A bamboo plantation can begin harvesting bamboo for commercial purposes as early as the third year after establishment. 
• The clump, however, will mature and produce full-sized culms only after the fourth year.
• For most purposes, it is best to harvest culms at the age of four years.
• However, In applications that do not require their peak physical and mechanical properties, 2-3 year old culms from a mature clump may be harvested.
• During the growing season, which is typically during the monsoon season, it is not recommended to harvest the culms as it may damage emerging shoots and stunt future growth of shoots.
• A plant that is older than five years begins to become brittle and weak and eventually dies. A commercial plantation should not retain culms older than five years.
• During the post-monsoon season that extends into early winter, is the best time to harvest culms since they are in a period of dormancy during which their starch content is reduced.
• Due to less starch content, bamboo harvested in post monsoon season is less likely to be attacked by borers, termites, and other pests.
• It is imperative to remove all stunted and diseased shoots from clumps upon detection.
• Do not drag the felled culms along the ground to the collection point. dragging damages the epidermal layer of the harvested bamboo and reduces the market value of the harvest.

Post harvest management and storage of bamboo in bamboo farming

• Stacking
  1. Horizontal stacking: Not advisable as it puts pressure on the bamboo culms stacked at the bottom. Resulting in deformation of the culm.
  2. Vertical stacking: It is the preferred way of stacking as it promotes quicker drying and also helps in seeping out of starch.
  3. A permanent (Pukka) floor is recommended for stacking.
  4. A temporary (Kachha) floor gives culms full exposure of ground and makes the culms susceptible to termites and borers.
  5. Polythene sheets or tarpaulin on the floor can be used to eliminate the direct contact of culm with the soil.
• Leaching/ Washing
  1. Washing the bamboo can help in reducing the starch content of the bamboo culm.
  2. Flowing water near a plantation can be a great option for leaching of bamboo.
• Heating the bamboo culm
  1. Bamboo poles are placed over a fire or a bed of burning coal.
  2. This helps in quick drying of epidermal layer and also helps in reducing the starch level.
  3. this trick is also used for removing bends from bamboo culms.
  4. Heating chambers can also be used for this purpose.
• Soaking in water
  1. The bamboo culms are submerged in water tanks for 4 to 12 weeks.
  2. For this method, bamboo culms are tied together with the help of a synthetic rope or iron frame and put in the water tank.
• Chemical or organic coating
  1. The bamboo culms are coated with tar or lime wash or tar sprinkled with sand to insulate the bamboo from climate and soil.
  2. The bamboo culms are also painted or sprayed with water repellent to avoid the growth of fungus or mould.
• The bamboo should be stored in a covered area to protect it from rain and direct sunlight.
• Direct sunlight might cause over drying of bamboo causing cracks and splits.
• Rain can slowdown significantly the drying process of bamboo culm.

Cost, profit and market for bamboo farming

This section of the article will give you a brief idea about the cost of bamboo farming and the approximate profit that can be earned by bamboo farming. We will make few assumptions on the costing.

The costing assumed here might vary a little from state to state and hence please inquire about the local costing.

These assumptions are based on Indian climatic conditions and market situation for bamboo farming/cultivation.

Assumptions made for costing calculation

• We have assumed a land of 1 acre for this estimation.
• Plant spacing of 4×4 meters is considered.

• Costing of man-days for a period of 5 years is calculated in the following table.

• Total cost incurred in the span of 5 years in bamboo farming is calculated in the table below.

• Estimates of yield of bamboo from 1 acre bamboo farm with 4×4 meter spacing is in the table below.

• Expenditure and net income of bamboo farming in 1 Acre of land with 4×4 meter plant spacing is shown in the table below.

*Source: Data of all the tables and calculations covered in the section “Cost, profit and market for bamboo farming” are acquired from Grow More Bio-Tech Limited, India.

Government subsidy and schemes for bamboo farming

Under the National bamboo mission and Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bamboo Scheme, following subsidies and schemes are being given to farmers to incentivize them for starting of bamboo farming.

• The average cost of bamboo plantlet is considered as 240 Indian rupees. For the initial 3 years of bamboo farming, government will give a subsidy of 120 Indian rupees per plant to the farmers.
• Except for North East India, Government is giving a subsidy of 50% of the total cost inured by the farmer for bamboo farming.
• The 50% subsidy is divided into 2 parts. 60% of the subsidy will bee given by central government and remaining 40% od the subsidy will be given by the state government.
• The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bamboo Mission has established nodal offices in every district. Further information regarding the scheme is also available from your nodal office.
• More information can be found from the government bamboo mission website : https://nbm.nic.in/

Final Words

Due to its enormous potential and ability, bamboo is a “wonder plant” in the current climate change era.

In addition to promoting sustainable farming and providing farmers with good income, it also contributes in conservation of good environment. Therefore, policy makers should take action to promote bamboo cultivation throughout the country. 

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bamboo Scheme is a good step towards promoting and incentivizing farmers for bamboo farming.

It is only by leveraging farmers’ perceptions and knowledge of the appropriate bamboo based aggro-forestry system or technology, its adoption, implementation, and management that doubling or exceeding income from this resource can be achieved.

I hope this article was able to answer many of your questions. Please feel free to comment your thoughts. Any suggestion or advise will be highly appreciated. Also, kindly do post any questions which are still unanswered. I would be happy to assist.