The under secretary of the Forest, Environment and Ecology department S Raju has passed an order to hand over the dried bamboo to the corporation after collecting price of Rs 325 per metric tonne and the tax.
About 5,000 tonne bamboo is dried in Thithimathi zone in Virajpet taluk. About 200 tonne in Shanivarasanthe, 500 tonne in Kushalnagar and 600 tonne in Somwarpet zone have become dry.
In the backdrop of forest fire caused by dry bamboo in summer, and to fetch income, Additional Conservator of Forest has been directed to hand over the bamboo to the
Corporation.
Bamboos have become dry in about 10,000 hectare land in Kodagu.
As per the nature’s rule, bamboo flowers once in 40 years. Once the bamboo flowers, the plant becomes dry. With the drying of the bamboo, there are all possibility of forest fire and shortage of food for wild animals.
Hence, the farmers fear that the wild elephants will enter villages and destroy plantations next year.
Kodagu Circle DCF Anand said “there is no use if the dry bamboos are left alone in the forest. The dry bamboos can be used for preparing artifacts.”
He said “it will take another two to three years for the bamboo to grow to provide food
for the wild elephants. The man-wild elephants conflict will increase in the next year. With the elephants facing shortage of food, there are all possibilities of elephants destroying plantations and paddy.”
The Karnataka State Forest Industrial Corporation Ltd will start the process of removing dried bamboo from the forest. The purchased bamboo will be sold to Bhadravathi Mysore Papermills, Dandeli paper factory, J K Paper mills, he added.