With 32.07% of its total geographical area under bamboo cover, Mizoram accounts for 14% of the bamboo cultivation in India. This was highlighted during a seminar ‘Bamboo Composite Materials for Structural Applications’ held in Aizawl. The seminar was co-organised by the Mizoram Science, Technology & Innovation Council (MISTIC), Directorate of Science and Technology and Bhopal-based Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute (CSIR-AMPRI).
Davy Lalruatliana, scientific officer at MISTIC, who presented a paper on ‘Bamboo Resources in Mizoram’, stated that the total area of bamboo forests in Mizoram is estimated at 6,760.71 square km, which accounts for 32.07% of the State’s geographical area.
Mizoram is said to have 36 species of bamboo, of which 24 are indigenous and 12 have been introduced. The dominant species, Melocanna baccifera – locally referred to as ‘Mautak’ – constitutes almost 95% of the State’s bamboo forests. Bamboo forests are found mainly along the river banks and abandoned jhumland as a dominant secondary vegetation.
Speaking at the seminar as the Chief Guest, Mizoram Bamboo Development Board vice chairman and MLA, Dr K Pachhunga, shared that harnessing the State’s rich bamboo resources was one of the top priorities of the Mizoram government under its Socio-Economic Development Programme. Echoing Chief Minister Zoramthanga’s statement, Dr K Pachhunga stressed the need for utilizing the abundant bamboo for various composite materials.
