Tripura minister concerned over shifting cultivation in Northeast

Agartala, June 28: Tripura Forest Minister Jitendra Chowdhury has expressed deep
concern over degradation of forest land due to shifting cultivation (Jhum) over the years
and revealed that Manipur has emerged as the worst-affected State, followed by
Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura.

Addressing a National Seminar on the Great Depression of 1930s and Present Global
Economic Melt Down and its Impact on Tribal Society at Shillong last week, Chowdhury
said about 45 per cent of tropical agricultural area in the world is under shifting
cultivation while one-third of agriculture in South-East Asia constitutes shifting
cultivation and 60 per cent of Africa’s food is also produced through shifting cultivation.
He pointed out that the actual forest area affected by shifting cultivation was highest in
Manipur at 77.4 per cent and lowest in Arunachal Pradesh at 12.4 per cent. Nagaland,
Mizoram, Tripura followed next while Assam ranked fifth with 74.1 per cent, 68.5 per
cent and 62.3 per cent of total forest area respectively.

Pleading against Jhum cultivation, Chowdhury said it was not only economically
unviable in present world but also a major threat to the bio-diversity and contributor to
deforestation. It was also one of the causes of soil erosion in Tripura, Chowdhury
underlined.

Referring to a study, he said about seven hectares area under shifting cultivation causes
soil loss of 5.1-83.3 tonnes per hectare per year while in sharp contrast, a natural bamboo
forest causes soilloss of 0.04-0.52 tonnes per year, which causes a decline in the net
productivity.

He added that alienation of tribal lands also occurs for various purposes like construction
of dams, mining projects, setting up of forest based and other industries and
encroachments.

According to the Planning Commission report of January, 2000, the area alienated from
tribals was 9,17,590 acres while those displaced between 1951-90 were 21.2 lakh - 39.4
per cent - and almost 80 per cent of the forest and mineral resources of the country were
found in the scheduled areas therefore leading to exploitation, Chowdhury added. (UNI)

A News clip from ‘The Sentinel’ – A English Daily, regional paper – published from
Guwahati, Assam.