Expert Hails Chinese Assistance to Bamboo Industry Dev’t in East Africa

Ena December 13/2019 Chinese assistance is boosting the bamboo industry’s development in east African countries, an expert said.

International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR) East Africa regional office Program Manager, Jayaraman Durai said Chinese assistance in technology transfer and local capacity building is helping the bamboo industry in Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya to grow.

 “There are various successful enterprises operating at different scales which were trained by personnel from INBAR and from China,” Durai told Xinhua.

“There is already a joint Dutch-Chinese project in east African countries that aims to support government and privately-owned bamboo industries. Currently various factors such as the properties of the various bamboo species, market potential of bamboo sector, policy directions needed to boost bamboo industry, as well as capacity building and value addition needed in the bamboo sector are under study,” he elaborated.

Durai said an estimated 1.4 million hectares of land in Ethiopia are covered by bamboo trees, while in Uganda and Kenya it is estimated 50,000 and 150,000 hectares of land are covered by bamboo trees, showing that bamboo, contrary to popular perceptions, is not an insignificant sector.

“In these countries bamboo is used to make mats, construct houses, as energy source, for handicraft products, traditional furniture as well as being a food item showing the importance of bamboo products,” he pointed out.

Countries like China have been able to utilize bamboo for various purposes ranging from fashion clothes, medicines to as a source of energy, the program manager said, adding that   “there is no reason that Ethiopia cannot replicate China’s success in the bamboo sector.”

INBAR is a multilateral development organization of 44 states for the promotion of bamboo and rattan industries.