Recently, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered for large scale plantation of Tal palm trees throughout the State for economic wellbeing of the rural as well as urban masses.
Tal trees support the rural poor in many ways for their day-to-day living. The value of the plant was recognised by the British rulers in India and large scale plantations of the species were carried out to support the rural poor.
There was a strict order during the British regime to plant Tal palm trees in the boundary lines of the reserve forests, protected forests and all forest blocks of Bihar and Odisha, including in the boundary lines between the States. But unfortunately, this practice was discontinued after independence and the boundary lines of forest blocks and interstate boundaries were not maintained.
The Tal palm tree yields value-based products and bi-products. The groove of palm trees provides a healthy biological hub to many birds and animals for nest.
The toddy palm is a very large palm tree which attains 70-100 feet in height and 2 feet in diameter. The leaves are 3-5 feet in diameter. It comes in all types of soil; particularly it grows well in coastal plains. It is very commonly found in Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, undivided MP and Andhra Pradesh. It is largely tapped for “toddy”, the sugary juice. Yeast is prepared out of the juice. The pulp of the fruit and kernel of the seeds are highly useful. There are numerous other uses of the parts of the palm tree. The trunk of the plant is used for construction of mud-houses and the leaves are used for thatching the houses in villages. Molasses is also prepared out of its juice.
Commonly, it is cultivated by the people in their private land. It is not a forest produce. So, the wood is largely smuggled to neighbouring State like West Bengal as house building materials. The density of the palm grooves are greatly reduced due to smuggling and untimely felling. The leaves of the palm trees are used for various handicraft products by the cottage industries in Odisha and in southern States of India. The wood is also used for preparing walking sticks, batten and ridge piece etc.
During last part of 20th century, the Chipko movement was extensively carried out, particularly by women folks, to save the natural ecosystems of Karnataka from over exploitation. The Narmada Bachhao Andolan is another burning example of women’s efforts for protection and conservation of the biospheres of the country. So the women resources can be utilized efficiently for propagation of palm ecosystem in every village for economic development of the rural poor.
There are large scale vacant areas in every village in our rural and urban areas. Palm has very small crown of 20 to 30 feet wide on an average. The species can be planted in village “Gochar”, burial grounds, village commons, agricultural field, village ponds, roadsides and canal banks etc. It is a high value cash crop and mostly favoured by the rural people for providing raw materials for handicrafts, which also provide engagement for women folks of all kinds.
The writer has rich experiences on raising forest plantations, especially by roping in women folks in rural areas. So the women resources should be utilised by the State Government of Odisha like Bihar to raise palm trees plantations which will support both the ecology of the locality and economy of the village communities. Jaggery yields good dark sugar, which has also medicinal value and is a good source of vitamin ‘B’ complex. Many birds and rodents, and other animals prefer to make the species as their shelter. The fibres of the leaves are used by Baya weaver birds for preparing their hanging nests to lay eggs. The nest is like a swinging retort shaped structure with long vertical entrance tube compactly woven out by strips of paddy leaves, rough grasses and fibres of palm leaves. The nests are generally made in the trees situated over water bodies.
Now everyone should consider if the palm trees do not exist in our region what will be about these birdsIJ March 21 will be observed as World Vana Divas or World Forest Day. Similarly, March 22 is observed as World Water Day and March 23 as World Climate Day. Hence, we should resolve to have large scale plantations of palm trees on these special occasions.
(The writer is a former senior forest officer and an environmentalist. Tel no 9937460649)