Broom grass cultivation turns tribals into entrepreneurs in Tripura
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Tripura, Oct 07 (ANI): Broom grass cultivation in Tripura has turned members of the tribal community into entrepreneurs. Locally known as ‘phooljharu’, broom grass or tiger grass is a non-timber forest product which grows naturally in the wild across northeastern states. These brooms have high demand in every household across the country while the grass occupies an important place in the rural economy in Tripura. But with the shrinking forest cover the availability of once-abundant broom grass that grows in the hills of Tripura is gradually reducing. The unscientific plucking of the grass also impacts its regeneration. In 2012, a small group of farmers of Dephacherral hamlet of North Tripura district took the initiative of cultivating broom grass on a 10,000 square metre abandoned land after collecting its stems from the forests. A leader of the group, Birala Chakma, said that they saw overwhelming result after an year of cultivation. The success of the group had encouraged other villagers to get involved in the trade of cultivating tiger grass and making brooms. The women make brooms during their leisurely hours. With the increasing demand for broom from various parts of the country large areas of abandoned slash fields have now been converted to broom grass plantations which ha
