Tripura Concerned Over Jhum Cultivation in Northeast

Agartala, Jun 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, Mr 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, Mr 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, Mr 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 soil loss 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, Mr Chowdhury added.