Bamboo flowering hits handicrafts
Bamboo, also known as ‘green gold’ is a grass, a strong, versatile and highly renewable resource. Many earn their livelihood by selling the bamboo products.
The traditional mats, ‘mora,’ baskets are prepared using bamboo. There is great demand for bamboo during processing of paddy and harvesting of coffee in Kodagu.
Tribals in Kushalnagar area are earning their livehood by selling ‘mora,’ baskets for the past several years. They collect the available bamboo and prepare bamboo products at home.
Like last year, the bamboo has started flowering in the reserve forest in Kodagu. Though it is a natural process which takes place once in 40 to 50 years, with flowering, the bamboos reach the verge of extinct. The flowering of babmboo also gives rise to bamboo fruit which are used as food by the tribals. As the bamboo has started flowering, it is affecting handicrafts in the region.
“We do not have enough bamboo for producing the products. We used to get bamboo easily in the past. However, now collecting bamboo has become a hard task,” said Raju of Koppa.
Moreover, the bamboo is getting good price in the North Eastern States. Even in the South, the bamboo products have become popular. Even bamboo shoot is used for preparing dishes. Collecting bamboo shoots and selling it is a occupation for many. If the government provides help for the value addition products of bamboo, it can become popular in our state as well, said another tribal.
