ZPM leader Lalduhoma slams Mizoram Bamboo Policy

Newmai News Network
AIZAWL, OCT 22: Main opposition Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) legislator  Lalduhoma on Tuesday slammed state's flagship programme-Bamboo Policy as useless.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Aizawl, the ZPM leader said that the Bamboo Policy has no collective support, and that officials of the state Agriculture department are unaware of the policy.
He then alleged that the Bamboo Policy is being misused by Chief Minister Zoramthanga for personal gains. Lalduhoma also said that  D.Brandisii and D.Latiforus, the two species of bamboo, which the Chief Minister has planned to grow in the state by importing from outside the state, are proven unproductive in many places.
He said that the state government should concentrate on home grown wild bamboo species like melocanna baccifera, bambusa tulda and D. Longispathus  than importing new species from outside.  He also said that the state government should also focus on establishing processing unit, chipping plant and pulp and paper industry to export bamboo craft and products from the state. He added the state government should also establish market by collaborating with bamboo companies.
According to Lalduhoma, the MNF government had introduced Bamboo Policy in its previous rule which had proven a major failure.
He then said that in 2006 the MNF government had imported 28,000 seedlings of masso bamboo species from Arunachal Pradesh and planted in 150 hectare of land, but only 63 seedlings survived Again in 2007, the government imported 22,000 bamboo seedlings from outside out of which only 5,750 survived, he added.
The ZPM leader then alleged the government had wasted crores of rupees due to its Bamboo Policy. He added that the Chief Minister had earlier informed the state legislature that while bamboo plantation is undertaken in 38,601 hectare of land, the revenue received from bamboo plantation so far is a meagre Rs 24,000 only.