Reed industry cries for help

By Ananda KANNANGARA

An exhibition centre should be set up at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to promote traditional handicraft.

From ancient days Sri Lankans have been using reed and bamboo trees for festival decorations and construct walls of their wattle and daub houses. The reed and bamboos commonly known in Sinhala as Bata and Una are also used to make Vesak lanterns and Vesak pandols.

The buckets, made out of reed are used by tea pluckers and toddy tappers, while reed blinds Bata paleli are used by people for protection from sunshine and rains. In addition, large buckets which are made out of reed are also used to stock betel for the foreign market and also for vegetable transportation.

Reed and bamboo trees are grown in many parts of the island where the tropical climate exists.

They are grown mainly in forests, near streams and canals in the form of bushes. The trunk of these trees are thick and hard.

They cannot be easily uprooted or separated from the main root. Although the trunk of the reed and bamboo trees are strong, the wood perishes during a short period.

A manufacturer with a stock of reed

Anura Perera making a reed blind

M. Harischandra and Sarath Edirisinghe finishing a reed blind

We are happy to see that people in the country are now engaging in various scientific experiments to preserve the wood of reed and bamboo trees for a longer duration with the objective of making various other items.

The Sunday Observer last week had a rare opportunity to visit several villages near Kosgama in Avissawella and Kimmantudawa, Paragastota and Delkada in Horana area to meet people engaging in the reed and bamboo industry.

A former executive in the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, Gamini Pinnalawatte said he has been making various items from bamboo wood and covers of bamboo shoots such as replicas of ancient sailing ships, pen holders, jewellery boxes and few other bamboo handicraft and sell them at the local market.

Some of these items are also popular among foreign tourists and they purchase them from the local market during their stay in the country.

A resident of Avissawella, Gamini said he has now focused attention towards the manufacturing of eco-friendly bamboo furniture which he believes will be the first ever industry in SrI Lanka.

He said bamboo furniture is very popular in countries such as China, Thailand, India, Philippines, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia and bamboo furniture could also be manufactured in Sri Lanka where bamboos could be found in many parts of the country.

Although bamboo is grown in our country, unfortunately no one has so far focused any attention towards manufacturing furniture due to unawareness on the technology and scientific treatments that should be adopted to preserve the wood.

He said if chemical treatment is done accurately, bamboos could be used for years.

We never thought that rubber wood could be used to manufacture furniture, but today rubber furniture is in the export market since they are too considered as eco-friendly items.

Gamini said he studied the market and built up links with a leading bamboo product manufacturers in China and in the neighbouring India.

Their bamboo industry is supported by Government of India's National Mission on Bamboo Applications (NMBA) and they have assured the most needed technical support, marketing inputs, designs and the production.

He also displayed a brochure produced by International Finance Corporation and Mekong Private Sector Development Facility and accordingly bamboo products are penerating large multi-billion dollar global markets like furniture, homewares, flooring and handicrafts in the near future.

He said eco-friendly bamboos have positive carbon and environment aspects when compared to timber forests.

He said bamboo products could also be released to local and international markets at a very competitive price due to low labour cost, investment and material cost.

Gamini also said he exhibited some of his bamboo products at the Government sponsored `Hasitha 2010' and won merit awards. He also got the registration with the National Crafts Council as a craftsman and obtained a stall at the Jana Kala Kendraya, Battaramulla.

He said Sri Lanka targets over 2.5 million foreign tourists by 2016 and he has planned to provide bamboo furniture to Lankan tourist hotels and also export them to countries where tourism industry is highly developed. "I have planned to manufacture bamboo furniture such as sofas, verandah and swing chairs, beds, racks, almairahs, hotel huts, cloth racks, writing tables, dinning sets, pantry cupboards, sink holders, shoe racks, and dressing tables and in addition ave also planned to manufacture bamboo blinds, wall panelling and bamboo flooring for houses and hotels", he said. Even ordinary households, ordinary hotels, hospitals, companies, banks, sports clubs, and Government institutions will love to buy these eco-friendly furniture made out of bamboos because of its elegance and durability.

Gamini finally said that he was highly motivated with the `Be Sri Lankan, Buy Sri Lankan' concept and his only dream was to be a partner of the `Wonder of Asia' by encouraging people to grow more eco-friendly bamboo trees even in their home gardens and help craftsmen to manufacture various items from bamboo trees in the years to come.

A 38-year-old, Anura Perera from Kimmantudawa said he started manufacturing reed blinds 12 years ago and earned about Rs. 15,000 a month.

He said he learned the art of making reed blinds from his parents who have been still in the business.

A father of three small children, Anura said his wife too supports to make reed blinds, but the monthly income cannot be exceeded due to no proper market to sell their products.

He said Government institutions such as the Divisional Secretariat (DS) should extend a helping hand to reed manufacturers to develop their traditional industry, but it is pathetic to say that officials of the DS are not taking any interest even to talk to people who are engaged in the industry.

Anura also said that reed is brought from State forest lands in Bulathsinhala and Ingiriya by traders and sell them at higher prices to them.

He requested public officials to intervene in this and provide reed at nominal prices.

He said over 300 families in his village make their livelihood by making reed blinds and buckets, therefore the State intervention is immensely needed to protect this traditional industry.

A 54-year-old school teacher and also a reed blind manufacturer, M. Harischandra proposed the Government to set up collection centres in Kalutara and Horana to purchase reed blinds, buckets and other traditional items, manufactured out of reed, so that persons who are involved in the industry could make a steady income every month by selling their products to collection centres.

He said the nylon thread, which is used to manufacture reed blinds are very expensive in the open market and proposed officials to take suitable measures to provide them at reduced prices.

He said although public officials in his village offices could take various measures to develop the reed goods manufacturing industry, but none of the higher officials visit them even to look into their problems and grievances.

A 20-year-old reed blind and reed basket manufacturer, Sarath Edirisinghe proposed authorities to hold traditional goods exhibitions in their district at least every three months time, so that manufacturers could sell their products and earn a good income too.

He said the Assistant Government Agent of Kalutara recently called several small scale goods manufacturers in the Kalutara District for a meeting to discuss their needs and grievances.

"Although we made several proposals at the meeting, we have not yet reaped any benefit from that".

A 56-year-old reed goods manufacturer of Paragastota, Guneris Peiris said the reed industry will also become another dying industry unless the officials of the Department of Small Industries take measuresto develop it.

He called upon Minister Douglas Devananda to visit the villages of Dalkada, Paragastota and Kimmantudawa in the Kalutara District and look into the needs of persons, engaged in the industry.

He also proposed the Minister to open a special exhibition centre at the departure terminal of the Bandaranaike Airport to enable all traditional craftsmen in the country to sell their products to foreign nationals on their way home, and for the locals to take them overseas as gifts.