Authors:Bhatt B.P; Singha L.B; Singh K; Sachan M.S
Abstract:A survey of the market places of Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim states in India revealed four major commercial edible bamboo species. Considering the market potentiality of young shoot, Melocanna baccifera is identified to be the most commercial bamboo species in Mizoram; Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, M. baccifera and Bambusa balcooa in Meghalaya and D. hamiltonii and Chimonobambusa hookeriana in Sikkim. C. hookeriana is noticed to be restricted only to Sikkim and B. balcooa to few districts of Meghalaya. However, D. hamiltonii is observed to occur with different degrees of frequency in all the three states explored. In all the 19 districts of the three states, 76 rich pockets of these four edible bamboo species have been identified. Excluding the village/ household level consumption, a total of around 980 tonnes of bamboo shoot per year has been recorded to be consumed through market places with a gross income of around US $ 111 000 per annum in the three states. A maximum consumption of edible bamboo shoot is noticed in Mizoram (ca. 505 tonnes/year), followed by Meghalaya (ca. 448 tonnes/year) and Sikkim (ca. 27 tonnes/year). Whereas the net income is noticed to be highest in Meghalaya (ca. US $ 23 880/year), followed by Sikkim (ca. US $ 14 700/year) and Mizoram (ca. US $ 14 200/year). The physical and financial investment made in merchandizing edible bamboo shoots are observed to be highest in Mizoram, followed by Meghalaya and Sikkim, which in turn have reduced the net annual income.
Keywords:bamboo shoots; bamboos; consumption; income;