BSS, Rangamati :
People belongs to ethnic minority communities in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region are eating bamboo shoots as a part of their daily food causing depletion in the bamboo production and short supply to Karnaphuly Paper Mills.
Dependable sources said a total of about 100,000 bamboo shoots worth about Taka 10 lakh are consumed by ethnic minority community people daily.
The shoots locally known as ‘Bansh Korol’ took the second place of their diet after rice. Not because of food crisis but because of most of the members of ethnic communities cannot afford costly fish or meat.
The korol are being sold in the remote bazaars of Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban districts at Taka 4 to 5 per bundle of about 30 sticks, the sources added.
Although the buyers are from different clans, the sellers are usually the female members of ethnic communities.
Local leaders alleged that due to extensive use in the food, price of bamboo saplings often shot up to Taka 10 per piece in the peak period of planting.
The chairman of Rangamati hill district council, Brisho Ketu Chakma urged concerned authority to come forward to provide the marginal members of the ethnic communities’ necessary support to address the problem.
