Bamboo clusters and traditional bamboo based cottage industries of the northern region are gradually disappearing.

According to local people, indiscriminate felling of bamboo trees, lack of initiatives for planting bamboo plants in a planned manner, preservation and maintenance of the bamboo clusters are the main reasons behind it.

Thousands of rural people, who were engaged in bamboo based cottage industries have already changed their inherited traditional profession. This is due to less demand of their produces, presence of synthetic commodities in local markets and non-availability and high prices of raw materials.

Joypurhat, Naogaon, Bogra, Pabna, Rangpur, Kurigram, Nilphamari, Panchgarh, Thaku rgaon, Gaibandha, Natore, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat, Chapainawabganj and Sirajganj were earlier full with charming bamboo clusters only two decades ago.Bamboo based cottage industries grew up in these areas and bamboo made households were part and parcel of rural life. Thousands of families were earning a lot by making bamboo made 'kula", dhama' chatai' jhuri' chalun' duar' khalai' maltha' pakha 'unia' dharai' poloi' macha' dhol' carts, mathoil', a number of toys and other necessary goods at their houses.

They were selling these goods in rural hats and bazaars at comparatively fair prices to earn their living.

There was a high demand of these bamboo made commodities everywhere, but the demand now reduced to its lowest level as local markets have been flooded with ecologically harmful and dangerous plastic made commodities with reasonable less prices.

Rise in bamboo prices compelled the rural handicrafts of bamboo made goods to sell their produces at higher prices when they faced the challenge for their survival about a decade ago. They started leaving their ancestral profession finding no other alternative. A large number of people have also

become jobless as they do not know other works.

Experts said with the rise of population, more houses have been built in rural areas damaging the bamboo clusters. On the other hand, bamboo is the main construction material for building thatched houses in the rural areas.

Some houses are being built with bamboo mainly in many districts. But non-availability of bamboo has increased its price from Tk 25 to Tk 100 now per piece on average. As a result, people are making houses with tin sheets and plastic materials.

Local observers, experts and people said the government should take up an extensive bamboo plantation programme to help our ecology and the people who were engaged in bamboo based cottage industries.

They also stressed banning on carrying thousands of bamboo through river routes to the other areas daily from the region.