Bamboo cultivatiotion in North, East to boost rural economy

by Lalin Fernandopulle

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) will introduce bamboo cultivation in the North and the East with varieties that are conducive to dry zones, UNIDO Consultant Spyridon Kleitsas said.

He said feasibility studies for the locations will be carried out this year and plants will be introduced to the regions which will help create employment and enhance the income of entrepreneurs in the area.

The extent under bamboo cultivation in Sri Lanka will be increased from the current 6,000 hectares to around 15,000 hectares which will generate more livelihood opportunities for the rural masses, said Kleitsas.

National Director, UNIDO, Nawaz Rajabdeen said steps will be taken to transform the bamboo industry from handicrafts to commercial processing that will generate more income opportunities through local and export markets.

“Our aim is to increase current employment from around 300 small and medium scale handicraft manufacturers to around 20,000 entrepreneurs by 2020,” he said.

UNIDO with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) will launch a US$ 600,000 revolving-fund to boost Sri Lanka’s bamboo industry, to spearhead rural economic growth.

The fund will be in operation from the end of this month and money will be dispensed for bamboo growing and processing.

The fund will also be used to train people to grow and process bamboo and market finished products and it will be available for members of the Association of Bamboo Growers and Industry of Sri Lanka, Rajabdeen said.

The Association comprises around 70 members from the plantation sector and entrepreneurs.

“We hope to increase the number of members to around 200 through workshops and awareness programs in bamboo growing districts with the support of the private sector.

He said there are ongoing efforts to increase the capital for the fund with contributions from private sector companies, banks and Corporations.

UNIDO and the Association of Bamboo Growers and Industry of Sri Lanka will act as custodians of the fund which will be managed by the Hatton National Bank.

The MoU for the fund was signed between UNIDO and HNB on Friday.

A pilot processing facility will be set up shortly. We have identified a few places but have not finalised a location. The machinery will be provided by UNIDO, Rajabdeen said.

Sri Lanka’s current bamboo cultivation is valued at around Rs 220 million (US $ 1.99 million) with an estimated coverage of 5,166 hectares of which 2,500 hectares is under the Mahaweli Authority.

UNIDO National Project Coordinator Anusha Ediriweera said bamboo has gained increasing importance worldwide as a substitute for timber and for a wide range of other innovative products.

Bamboo is used in the cottage handicraft industry, and in housing and construction. The manufacture of bamboo handicrafts such as baskets, strainers, and blinds is almost entirely based on the small-diameter bata (O. stridula).

Another important handicrafts species is una bambu (B. vulgaris) which is used to manufacture of utensils and decorative handicrafts. B. vulgaris is the most important bamboo species in building construction (in scaffoldings, house frames, posts, pillars, walls, and concrete reinforcement).

Bamboo leaves are also used in thatching. O. stridula, and Dendrocalamus species are also used in building construction. Bamboo is the most important pole material in urban construction work.There are no statistics on bamboo consumption, but the FSMP estimate is that total annual consumption is at least 80,000 cubic metres, about 700,000 colums, she said

Increasing its durability, developing an efficient joint and fixing system, and a prefabrication and composite system to deal with natural hazards, growing bamboo under structural grades, setting up of more production centres and capacity building of the SME sector are some of the challenges of the industry, Ediriweera said.

She said large-scale tissue culture production, proper management and protection of bamboo plants are urgently needed before the natural resource is completely depleted. These needs were identified as a priority in the Forestry Master Plan of 1995. The turnover of the global bamboo industry is around US$ 12 billion and China accounts for around US$ 8 billion while the rest is shared by India and countries of the region.