Bhubaneswar: The state government Tuesday approved annual action plan worth Rs 27.33 crore of State Bamboo Mission for 2019-20 financial year.
The state level executive committee headed by Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy approved the action plan at a meeting held in the Secretariat here.
Giving his nod to the annual plan, Tripathy directed the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA) to intensify field-level operations involving Vana Sanrakhayna Samitis (VSS), Joint Forest Management Committees (JMFCs), Eco Development Committees and Farmers’ Clubs. He also directed to undertake independent third party evaluation of the project after one year.
Outlining the modus of operandi of the restructured bamboo mission, state mission director AK Pathak said. “The main objective is to increase the area under bamboo plantation in non-forest government and private land for supplementing farm income, contributing towards climate change resilience and making available the quality raw material for industries.”
The mission will be promoted predominantly in private land, community lands, wastelands along with irrigation canals and water bodies, Pathak said.
It was decided in the meeting that only commercially viable species like tulda, vulgaries and nutons would be planted under the mission. Besides, farmers and artisans would he motivated to take up bamboo plantation. Financial assistance of Rs 50,000 per hectare would be provided for bamboo plantation for over a period of three years.
Around 417 seedlings would be planted in one hectare of land and the financial support would be calculated at the rate of Rs 120 per plant which would be disbursed in installments as per cultivation, survival and growth of the plants over a period of three years.
An official said because of the operations in last year, the area of bamboo cultivation increased from 11.2 lakh hectare in 2017-18 to 14 lakh hectare in 2018-19.
It was further decided that quality planting materials would be developed in OBDA and other forest nurseries for supply to the farmers. The operation would include the entire gamut of works like developing the nursery, actual plantation, treatment and seasoning of the plants, establishment of business clusters and processing units for value addition and marketing linkage.
