Pigeon pea, locally known as Arhar (Cajanus cajan), cultivated in the marginal land, village groves, denuded and naked hills and roughly 1,45,000 km of roadsides of Bangladesh, has the potentiality of supplying half the national firewood requirement, the entire pulpwood demand and many times over the Arhar pulse requirement of the country.
The stalk of Arhar plant was subjected to chemical analysis. The percentages of chemical components were found to be comparable to those of many indigenous hardwood species. The results indicate that the plant has the potentiality to be med for conversion to paper and dissolving pulp for rayon. The protein content of Arhar seeds was found to be 20.4%. The calorific value of the plant stalk compares favourably with those of many tropical hardwoods.