The extensive growth of bamboo in Moodbidri in ancient times is believed to have made people to name the town so. But now bamboo is hardly seen here. One of the few places you can find bamboo is the farm of L.C. Soans, a progressive farmer.
His intention to cultivate bamboo was mainly to make the name of the place more connected with the origin of the name.
Local people say the name Moodbidri is a combination of two words “moodu” and “bidiru.” Moodu in Kannada means east and bidiru means bamboo.
This town is about 35 km north-east of Mangalore in Dakshina Kannada district.
Mr. Soans said that he planted Giant Burma bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus) in his “Soans farm” 15 years ago. Now, clusters of bamboo can be seen here. His farm has about 50 clusters.
He decided to grow them as bamboo had disappeared from Moodbidri.
He chose not to plant local variety of bamboo as it involved manual work, mainly to remove thorns. “Giant Burma bamboo is free from thorns and easy to handle,” he said.
According to Mr. Soans, Giant Burma bamboo grew up to 80 ft. height.
In rainy season, its young shoots grow up to a height of one foot per day.
The growth slows down later.
Adult bamboo can be harvested in five to seven years after planting.
Mr. Soans suggests that farmers can plant this species for their own use or for agriculture activities. Growing them commercially is not viable.
This is because they need to obtain the permission from the government.
his process involved survey of the cultivated land, mapping it and obtaining permission from the Department of Forests to harvest and transport.
“By the time a farmer gets the final approval, his or her patience will be put to test,” he said. A piece of adult bamboo having a length of 70 ft. costs Rs. 150 in the local market, he said.
Manjunatha Shetty. P., Assistant Conservator of Forests, Moodbidri, agrees that there was no great demand for bamboo in the local market.
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