SYNOPSIS

BAMBOO INDUSTRY IN KERALA- PROBLEMS IN PRODUCTION AND

MARKETING

INTRODUCTION

Bamboo, the giant grass, with more than 111 genera and about 1575 species, occur in a wide
variety of soil and climatic conditions around the globe and play a critical role in providing
ecological, livelihood and food security to mankind. In India, although bamboos occur
throughout the country, the largest area under bamboo is in north-eastern India followed by the
Western Ghats. There are about 1500 traditional uses of bamboo broadly classified under
household, industry, weapons, energy, transportation, fisheries, agriculture, medicine and
construction. Recently, in East and Southeast Asia, especially in China there has been a rapid
growth of bamboo industries. The major reasons may be ascribed to development of new
products like laminated bamboo, parquet flooring, ply bamboo, bamboo composites and bamboo
charcoal. Mechanization of the traditional sectors like bamboo shoots for food, chopsticks,
toothpicks and bamboo handicrafts are other possible reasons. Considering the large bamboo
resources of India, which is second only to China, the potential for developing bamboo sector
appears to be very high. In India, 136 species of bamboos in 36 genera are found to exist. The
North East India holds the largest stock and diversity of bamboos. Next to the N.E., the Western
Ghats area has the second largest diversity of bamboos. Though the country has the largest area
under bamboo, an estimated 9.6 million hectares, the yield per ha is estimated around 0.4 tons,
which is very low in comparison to other countries like China, Malaysia, Costa Rica etc. It is
estimated that 8 million artisans depend on bamboo craft for their livelihood. The annual
turnover of the bamboo sector in India is estimated to be around Rs. 2400 crores. By and large,
this is a totally unorganized sector and bamboo has always been considered from the craft point
of view and if otherwise for pulp making only. This craft has been practiced by the North Eastern
States for centuries as their prime income source and, in the process; the weaving skills of the
artisans had evolved to levels comparable with the craftsperson from more affluent societies like
Japan, China etc.
Bamboo, a fast‐growing woody grass plant also known as ‘green gold’ has the potential to play a
critical role in catalyzing an inclusive green economy. It is the most environment friendly plant
on this planet, being one of the highest carbon sequesters amongst all the floral species. It grows
rapidly, matures within a few years and re-grows after harvesting without the need for replanting,
making it a perennial ‘renewable’ resource. Bamboo is also a very effective natural resource to
control soil erosion, raise the water table and improve fertility of even the most degraded soils.
Bamboo can thus play a key role in combating desertification by restoring degraded lands and
protecting forests. Bamboo can add up to 6-8 inches of humus to the soil every year while a
single Bamboo plant can bind up to 6 CUM of soil. Besides, most Bamboo species form an
evergreen canopy, shedding leaves all year round and this too contributes to improving soil
health. It can be easily integrated into agriculture by growing it on farm boundaries and farmland
as well as non-agricultural land including wastelands and degraded lands, and in homesteads.
Bamboo provides farmers a perennial income, allowing for annual harvests at any time of the
year offering them a robust and dependable supplement to an otherwise relatively fickle
agriculture. Bamboo provides both, small land holders and landless, access to two key markets,
agriculture and wood products. It provides rural households the additional advantage of being
able to add value through local level skilled processing thereby contributing to the creation of
rural enterprise and jobs. The tensile strength of Bamboo is also being harnessed to reduce the
use of steel in industries like construction and has the potential to generate exponential
employment, on-site and off-site, in the construction industry. These qualities of Bamboo are
critical to the contemporary policy discourse on ‘circular economy’ that involves designing
products, services and supply chains which are regenerative: that is, which are based on
renewable energy and resources, do not generate waste and keep products and materials in use
for the longest time possible. Bamboo can become the cornerstone of the circular economy and
offers India the opportunity to leap-frog to an inclusive green economy

The total yield of bamboo in terms of numbers from 2 million hectares will be 9198 million and
in terms of value will be Rs. 19,702 crore. Therefore, up on investing Rs. 2600 crore in the
development of the bamboo sector in the country over a period of five years, the total value of
bamboo poles and shoots itself will generate a turnover of more than Rs. 50,000 million from
2015-16 onwards. Once planted, the bamboo clumps will go on producing culms and shoots for
about 20 to 30 years. The other major benefits expected are in generation of employment through
the large scale setting up of plantations and industries.

Bamboo in Kerala

In Kerala, 28 species of bamboo are found to occur. The main species found in Kerala are
Bambusa bambos, Ochlandra travancorica (OT), Dendrocalamus strictus etc. Kerala has large
number of (around 11) types of thin walled bamboos called reeds (Ochlandra genera) which are
used mainly for weaving purposes by the traditional artisans. Exotic varieties like
Dendrocalamus giganteus, Dendrocalamus brandisii are also cultivated by farmers in areas like
Waynad district. Bamboo from the Kerala forest is being supplied mainly to the pulp and rayon
units under concessional rates. Reed bamboo (O.T) is supplied to the artisans through the State
Bamboo Corporation.

A unique feature of the Kerala bamboo scene is that 67.3 % of the extracted bamboo comes from
home gardens rather than from the forests.

The weaving sector artisans around Angamaly region is supported by the Kerala State Bamboo
Corporation. It is estimated that there are about a lakh people in the state dependent on bamboo
for their livelihood. Recent data from the panchayats indicate that from the early seventies
onwards there has been a great drain in the number of artisans from the sector to semi skilled and
unskilled jobs in the tertiary sectors like construction etc.

Kerala State Bamboo Mission (KSBM) was constituted under Department of Industries &
Commerce and functioning at Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion with the broad aim of
marshaling the scattered resources of the State and adopting a focused approach to revitalize the
bamboo sector by promoting value addition, enhancing income generation and alleviating
poverty through the following interventions

 Creation of new design for innovative products in Bamboo sector

 Assess gaps in skill of artisans on location basis
 Prepare training module based on the need-assessment
 Quality enhancement and Product improvement on existing products through
engineering inputs
  Promotion of bamboo-based entrepreneurship by providing necessary support services
 Provide necessary support to create market demands
 Act as a support service provider to bridge the critical gaps in the sector
 Promotion of bamboo propagation
 Maintaining an information System about Bamboo.

Such an intervention-based approach is expected to create income generation opportunities at

various levels, especially among women, and improving the living standards of the
artisans/craftsmen thereby contributing to the overall growth of the sector. Bamboo industries
however face many bottlenecks associated with production and marketing and this study aims to
pinpoint the problems and suggest solutions.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

There is the need for market establishment of Bamboo products, with product testing for quality
being a necessity which will ultimately lead to market acceptability. Bamboo as a resource needs
to be seen as a form of development, with the primary value addition done closer to the resource
in order to reap the livelihood benefits. [ CITATION Man15 \l 1033 ].

A study on bamboo based industries with special reference to Nagapattinam district, Tamil
Nadu found that there is a vast potential of demand for quality bamboo products in the internal
and foreign markets. But the bamboo based industries have faced problems like marketing,
finance and raw materials and these problems could be overcome by proper strategy. Though
there are possibilities for capturing the export markets which are now owned by China if all the
opportunities are successfully utilized[ CITATION ALo14 \l 1033 ].

Kigomo,B.N. (1988)1 observed that according to the Forestry Department, bamboo is classified
as a minor non timber forest product which slowed the recognition and development of this
resource. Other factors affecting the development of the bamboo resource in Kenya include the
ban on harvesting, lack of awareness on its production of unprocessed or semi-processed
products, poorly developed marketing structures, lack of information on availability of planting
materials, lack of information in the methods of propagation, establishment, crop management
and harvesting. It is, therefore, clear from this study as much as bamboo is versatile; its potential
is largely hampered by many external factors.

Blowfield, M. et al., (1995)2 discussed that the utilization of bamboo has a very long history in
the world, particularly in Asian countries but also in Africa and Latin America, especially where
it was available as the main plant and was used as a substitute for wood in many cases. In India
village based bamboo micro enterprises were set up which utilized bamboo from nearby forests
or home yards.

Walter Liese (1999)3 in his paper explains that bamboo as a plant will gain wider application for
soil stabilization and shelter forest with proper selections of 14 suitable species and genotypes.
Bamboo contributes to the existence of well over a billion people, mostly in the poor rural areas.
Only because the wages of these people are low, bamboo is reasonable for others. Their
obligations to improve the poor man’s life quality will evenly affect the availability of bamboo to
others. Bamboo products must be market oriented. The vast amount of information has to be
focused for the bamboo farmer, the processor, the mill operator, the trader, but most of all for the
end user, the consumer who should choose for his money bamboo products among other
alternatives the on-going work for a bamboo identification marvel and a regular international
bamboo journal need or support. A stronger cooperation and information exchange will be
beneficial. Competitions in industry and consumers are common but the acceptance of bamboo
may suffer from rivalry.

Bamboo industry helps in employment generation in India, particularly in the rural areas.
Management of bamboo forests, harvesting, collection, transport, storage, processing and
utilization of bamboo - are tasks requiring man force hence generating employment
opportunities. In India, it is estimated that bamboo generates a total of 432 million workdays and
Rs. 13 billion in wages annually (Adkoli 1995).

Bamboo, together with rattan, is gaining an increasingly significant role in the non-oil and top-
100 export commodity structure (Nasendi 1995).

Bamboo is widely used in development, multiple uses and high value in a range of products
aimed at national and international markets (Belchar 1995).
A vital resource it is of interest for a cross section of people - the traders, processors, consumers
as well as for the natural scientists , development practitioners as well as the social scientists.
(Mathew 1995).

The role of bamboo in village based enterprises (Blowfield et al 1995) and in the in development
of bamboo shoot industry (Thammincha 1995) throws light on the promising rural potential of
converting bamboo into a revenue generating resource. . An Integrated Rural Bamboo Project
entitled Knowing bamboo, knowing people was also done by Boa (1995) using a multi-
disciplinary approach to improve the utilization of rural bamboo.

Bamboo is indeed a very important plant in people‟s lives and it is considered as the „green
gasoline,‟‟ “the plant with thousand faces,” and „child‟s cradle and dead man‟s bier‟ (Tiwari
1988, Madhab 2003) and „wonder plant of the 21st century‟ (Salam 2008) because of the diverse
uses of the plant.

the Khasi continue to use bamboo for their daily needs. They are particularly very conscious of
perpetuating the tradition of making goods out of bamboo. Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya
attracts tourists all the year round. Among the different things for which the area is famous,
bamboo crafts stand out as products greatly sought after by the tourists. The Khasi particularly
the Khasi among them express their emotional connection with bamboo and become nostalgic
reminiscing about the past when bamboo was the only available support to them as their
forefathers lived deep in the interiors, cut off from the world outside. Government and other
agencies are intervening to make bamboo more commercially viable for the Khasi. This is
helping in improving the economy of the people. Bamboo continues to be a very significant part
of the life cycle rituals of the Khasi.

Vantomme,P. et al. (2003) 9 reveals that Bamboo is a beautiful, resistant, flexible and versatile
material that can be produced in an environmentally-friendly, renewable and sustainable manner.
There is no doubt in the many benefits that bamboo and its products can provide. In India for
example, bamboo plantation projects were implemented as part of a development.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Bamboo based industry is one of the best performing cottage and village industries and plays a
vital role in generating employment and reducing poverty[ CITATION ALo14 \l 1033 ]. According to
National Bamboo Mission, from activities related to bamboo value added products and
applications were worked out to be 8.6 million jobs in the tenth plan and can create marketing
opportunities for Rs 6500 crore by investing Rs 2600 crore for building up of bamboo resources
and enabling 5 million families of artisans and farmers crossing over poverty line. The extent of
bamboo resources is second largest in the world[ CITATION Sam18 \l 1033 ]. The total yield of
bamboo in terms of numbers from 2 million hectares will be 9198 million and in terms of value
will be Rs. 19,702 crore. Therefore, up on investing Rs. 2600 crore in the development of the
bamboo sector in the country over a period of five years, the total value of bamboo poles and
shoots itself will generate a turnover of more than Rs. 50,000 million from 20015-16 onwards.
Once planted, the bamboo clumps will go on producing culms and shoots for about 20 to 30
years. The other major benefits expected are in generation of employment through the large scale
setting up of plantations and industries[ CITATION NAT05 \l 1033 ].

But most of these resources are untapped compared to China which has the largest reserve of
bamboo resources. A huge export market which is dominated by China also exists. Small-scale
industries and co-operative societies depend mainly on the reeds supplied by KSBC through their
reed distribution centers. There are about 59 Societies/SSIs of which many are not functioning.
Lacks of raw material, poor quality, and low income are some of the reasons mentioned for their
decline. Most of the SSIs and co-operatives produce traditional mats and baskets that are sold in
the local markets. However there are few units which produce handicraft items [ CITATION Ker \l
1033 ]. The handicraft items are being mostly sold through Government sponsored Emporia,
private traders and trade fairs. There is no mechanism to sell these products outside the state or
abroad.

Although there are many species of bamboos available in the Western Ghats, hardly two or three
species are commercially exploited. The information on suitable species, their nursery and
plantation techniques available with the research institutions was not transferred to the field.
Lack of proper extension mechanism in the research institutions along with lack of propaganda is
responsible for this. Bamboo craft is still associated with socially and economically weaker
sections of the society. In spite of some efforts to improve their skills, the desired results have
not been achieved. The younger generation is reluctant to continue this work. The inferior status
and low wages are some of the reasons. To attract the younger generation, no training schemes in
diversified products and no up gradation of technologies were carried out. In Kerala, marketing
facilities for bamboo products have not been developed. Even the existing facilities are
inadequate.

This study aims to study what are the production and marketing difficulties and constraints faced
by the bamboo industry in Kerala from the perspective of the producers, distributers and the
employees. The bamboo industry has huge potential in Kerala but is being held up by these
limitations.

NEED AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Kerala has large number of (around 11) types of thin walled bamboos called reeds (Ochlandra
genera) which are used mainly for weaving purposes by the traditional artisans. Exotic varieties
like Dendrocalamus giganteus, Dendrocalamus brandisii are also cultivated by farmers in areas
like Waynad district. It is estimated that there are about a lakh people in the state dependent on
bamboo for their livelihood. Recent data from the panchayats indicate that from the early
seventies onwards there has been a great drain in the number of artisans from the sector to semi
skilled and unskilled jobs in the tertiary sectors like construction etc. the potential of bamboo
industry is large but to this day it has not been utilized. There has been limited number of studies
into the bamboo industry. Bamboo industry is in its early stages of development and has
problems in their production and marketing activity which holds it back. This study aims to find
the root of these problems.

The study aims to look into the production and marketing problems faced by the bamboo
industry as a whole. There has been relatively less number of studies on the commercial aspects
of the bamboo industry.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

 To study the cropping pattern of bamboo is like in Kerala

 To estimate the growth, production and productivity of bamboo
 To assess the costs and returns structure of bamboo cultivation
  To identify the marketing channels used in bamboo marketing
 To ascertain production and marketing constraints in bamboo industry and to suggest
appropriate policy measures.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The research studies the bamboo based industries in Kerala. The study aims to find out the
production and marketing methods and techniques adopted by the Bamboo industry and aims to
find out the bottle necks in this area. The study looks to see if the bamboo industry has sufficient
technology in production and to see if the industry is making use of the latest marketing
techniques. The study also looks into the cropping pattern, distribution, productivity, cost and
revenue and efficiency of the bamboo industry. In doing so the study aims to find and suggest
measures to solve problems related to the Bamboo industry in Kerala, which like coir industry is
a major employer of rural livelihood.

METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY

The proposed study is both Descriptive and Analytical in nature. The data required is to be
collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data will be collected from the
bamboo producers, marketers and employees with the help of structured questionnaires and
personal interviews. The secondary data for the research will be collected from various sources
like journals, articles, books, magazines, websites, newspapers, publications of central, state, and
local governments, reports and publications of concerned organizations, reports prepared by
research scholars, previous study reports, working papers, public records and statistics, and other
sources of published information.

Population of the study

The population of the study consists of producers, distributors, marketing agencies and the
employees related to bamboo industry in Kerala. The Kerala State Bamboo Corporation Ltd.
oversees the production activities taking place all over Kerala. The state also has a bamboo
mission aimed at promoting bamboo industries. All the bamboo making units therefore are
registered under government schemes.

Sample size
Appropriate sample size which fully represents the population will be used for the study.

Sampling technique

Appropriate sampling that could represent the population will be used for the study.

Tools that will be used for data collection

 Structured Questionnaire
 Interviews
 Surveys

Statistical techniques

The data collected will be processed, analyzed and tabulated by using relevant statistical tools
and techniques.

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