JORHAT, March 6 - The Rain Forest Research Institute (RFRI) at Sotai on the outskirts here, has started a free certificate course in Propagation and Management of Bamboo under the Green Skill Development Programme of Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change from February 25.
A press note issued by the RFRI stated that the course will be completed on March 23 next, and it has 25 participants from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur apart from Assam.
Certificates will be awarded to the participants at the end of the course, which includes all major aspects of bamboo propagation and management, starting from global distribution, species diversity, choice of species, economically important species, nursery management, propagation methods, cultivation practices, tending operations, diseases and pests, preservation treatments, utilization, entrepreneurship, the press note mentioned.
Outstation field tours to Nagaland and other natural as well as man-made bamboo forests of Assam are part of the course.
The Conservator of Forests, Northern Assam Circle based in Tezpur P Sivakumar was the chief guest at the inaugural function organised to start the course, the note stated.
Kumar while appreciating the efforts of RFRI in skill development activities of bamboo, said climate, soil and other factors of the north-eastern region were very much suitable for bamboo cultivation.
He said that more than 65 per cent of total bamboo species of India were found in the region and it was time to properly utilize this natural resource for development of the north-eastern region.
Citing his own experience Kumar said that when posted as Divisional Forest Officer in South Nagaon Forest Division at Hojai, he had developed a role model for JFMCs (Joint Forest Management Committees) for which he was awarded the Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra Award in 2008 by the Central Government, the note added.
Earlier, Rajib Kumar Kalita, Senior Scientist and Course Director of the programme, welcomed the gathering and gave a brief outline about the course. He appealed to the participants to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the RFRI in skill development of bamboo sector.
