Forest Resource Entrepreneurship: Case study of Goalpara District ...

IJCAES Special Issue onBasic, Applied & Social Sciences, Volume II, October 2012[ISSN: 2231-4946]Forest Resource Entrepreneurship: Case studyof Goalpara District of AssamPankaj Kr. RabhaResearch Scholar, CMJ UniversityAbstract— Overview observation of the forest resources entrepreneurship in Goalpara district. To study the present trendof use on forest resources. To asses the roles of existing, polices and programme for protection and development of forestresource entrepreneurship in Goalpara district. To study the degradation of forest resources in Goalpara district. Tosuggest, sustainable use for forest resources.Keywords— Goalpara, Forest, Resource, SourceI. INTRODUCTIONGoalpara district of Assam has no reserve forest and national parks. Even it has an area of 28% forest of thetotal level area of the district. Thus the district is rich in forest resources. Importance of forest and forest resourcesentrepreneurship is really great as they perform productive, productive and aesthetic functions and conferadvantages to the community. The district is enriched with large group of forest wood resources from whereentrepreneurs can avail financial benefits by using resources though their enterprises. Implications of the forestresource entrepreneurship in the district is sought to observe though this paper. However, it is kept in mind that thereis much scope of development of forest resources entrepreneurship in this district depending on the propermanagement and sustainable use.II.STUDY AREAThe forest area is 23% of the total geography area of the country. The Goalpara district is 1824 sq.km. in area.On the north of this district is the river Brahamaputra, on the South is West and East Gorohills districts ofMeghalaya, on the East is Kmrup district and on the west is Dhubri district. With its head quarter at Goalpara townthis district is constituted by one sub-division, five revenue circles and eight C.D. Blocks. Its forest administration iscomprised of one division each for territorial and Social Forestry consisting of 4 and 3 number of respectively.There are two account beats under the division of Social forestry. This district is located in a narrow elongated striplying between the Brahamputra and Meghalaya plateau ex-tending Longitudinally from 90 0 07 / E to 90 0 6 E andLatitudinal from 25 0 53 N to 26 0 13 / N approximately. Though it is a combination of hills and plains the soil is mostlycomposed of recent alluvium overlying the Archean rock of the plateau.III.DATA BASE AND METHODOLOGYAnalysis of quantitive data from Secondary Sources along with case studies through different trips are used forthis study. Quantitative analysis on the basis of observation also has been resorted since authenticity of statisticsavailable in district is not reliable.IV.EXISTING FOREST RESOURCES ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN GOALPARA DISTRICTGoalpara district has no reserve forests and national parks. It has an area of 28% forest of the total land area ofthe district. The total forest area of this district is 36915.27 heatares. This district is potent and rich area for majorforest timber products. These include valuable Wood- plant like sal teak, simal, gamari, pome sonaru, koroi etc. andminor forest products. Like different bomboo, cane thatch etc. These forest resources mainly based on theentrepreneurship which are providing raw material to sawmill, furniture houses, cane cutter etc. Wood is requiredfor entrepreneurs for construction, furniture and paper pulp newsprint, Rayaon, matches etc. Moreover, forestresources like canes, grasses, bamboo, resins, gums, medicinal plants and tanning materials etc are providingvarious minor products. All forest resource are being used for commercial and economic benefit.V. PRESENT TREND OF USE OF FOREST RESOURCES BY THE ENTREPRENEURS IN GOALPARA DISTRICTA huge portion of Indian forests are not properly utilized due to their inaccessibility. The forest resourcesexploitation started in this Goalpara district since 1850 when the Bangal wood cutters began in discriminate361 | P a g e

Pankaj Kr. Rabhaexploitation of timbers on lump-sum payment of taxes. The Entrepreneurs are engaged in part a fully in saw mills.Plywood factories and furniture houses which are established locally. They began to use mayor forest resources forrailway sleepers and other wood product on internal and external demand. From the forest resources theentrepreneurs produces varieties of articles like Saldhuna, medicine, Laha etc. The minor forest resources providethe entrepreneurs raw materials to produce broom (Jaru) canmets (sital pati), cane hats (japi) etc. „Jaru‟ company ofDudhnoi in Goalpara district has a huge product of Jaru (bamboo broom) which are based only on different bamboo.The company supplies 4/5 trucks of Jaru weekly to the different parts of the country. Cane mats and cane hats (Japi)of Mornoi Dubapara is popular all over the state. These are made mainly from canes. The production of mats giveanother source of livelihood to the people of that area of the Goalpara district.VI.362 | P a g eROLE OF EXISTING, POLICY, PROGRAMME AND DEVELOPMENT OF FOREST RESOURCEIn India there was no proper forest policy before independence. The central as well as the state Governmentin India have realized the necessity of developing forest in the country. Accordingly in 1950 „Van Mahotsava‟programme was introduced in India. For the forest resources protection and development in the state. The stategovernment as well as the central Government introduced the Forest policy 1952. New forest, 1988 and in 1981 theGovernment established an organization, namely the “Forest Survey of India”, the state forest developmentcorporation and planning project formulation for assessing and monitoring forest resources of the country. Thepolicies provided by the central Govt. and state Govt. for protection conservation and development of forestresources are not found in a sound position. The existing provision of management has alienate the communityparticipation the provision was never found conformity with the community right and aspirations of the natives.Continuous development of forest area and depletion of vegetation reveal the ineffective and inefficientmanagement of forest resources. Besides failure to implement the afforestation, regeneration and replanting of forestresources up to the desired mark, emerge shifting the strategies for implementation of the policies and programmes.Official sources show a very negligible district wise physical achievement under various schemes of social forest inGoalpara district. In 1999-2000 physical achievement under SFG, TSP, SCCP, AOFFP are 32.5, 150.0 and 250hectares respectively. These achievements are very negligible to the total deserted areas of forest. Alienation of thecommunity from the forest department arising out from the existing forest management system stand harmful forprotecting and conserving the forest resources.VII.DEGRADATION OF FOREST RESOURCES ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN GOALPARA DISTRICTDegradation of forest resources entrepreneurship mainly causes loss of sustainability. Causes of depletion offorest resources can be assessed as given below -------A good number of poor are regularly cutting trees and selling firewood for earning their livelihood in districte.g. in adjacent villages of Dhupdhara, Malangkona, Kurhiamari. Illegal felling of trees with the sole intention to getillegal gratification by supplying timber, bamboo etc to different parts of the state. Increasing demand for rawmaterials (e.g. bamboo) for forest-based industries. Use of wood plants in furniture houses (about 80 nos.)throughout the Goalpara district. Uncontrolled population and illegal encroachment on forest land, illegal felling oftrees in the areas like Moylapota, Bhalukdubi.VIII.SUGGESTIONSThe depleting forests and forest resources need utmost care for proper maintenance. They have profoundinfluence on the economy by entrepreneurship. Human activities should be planned and directed to maintain thecomplex organism of eco-system. Following suggestions may be recommended for proper implementation ofsustainability of forest resources entrepreneurship in Goalpara district.Forest rules and regulations should ensured the community property right so as to get community participationfor protection conservation and implementation of forest development programmes. Yearly forest audit systemshould be introduced for increasing accountability of all concerned. Forest school should be opened for properimplementation of Govt. schemes. Seminars and awareness camps on the forest resources entrepreneurship shouldbe held from time to time.The state and central government should give the real value to the entrepreneurs. Rapidly endangered forestarea can be given in lease system to the native people who are well acquainted with the local vegetation. Nativepeople who are engaged in depleting of forest resources should be identified and they may be engaged for protectionof the same on a nominal salary payment basis because those people have already been caught red-handed and freed

Forest Resource Entrepreneurship: Case study of Goalpara District of Assamby the forest department several times. Special initiatives should be taken to establish research and study centres indecentralized manner with nurseries in all panchayat levels of the Goalpara district.Encroachment in the deforested area and un classed forest area should be checked.REFERENCE[1] Sarma.P.K. Forest resources and their utitisation, mittal publications, New Delhi[2] Dhar. P.K. Indian Economy.[3] Bartelmus. Peter, Environment and Development, Allen and Unwin, Inc, 8 Winchester place, Mass 01890. USA[4] Economic Survey Assam (2010-2011)[5] Census of India, 1991, series 4, Assam, District census Handbook, Goalpara district, Govt. of Assam, Directorate of census operation,Assam.363 | P a g e