Seminar on September 5,6:

UNIDO to promote bamboo industry

The United Nation's Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in cooperation with the Industry and Commerce Ministry, has initiated a new project to set up bamboo industries in Sri Lanka. As part of this project, Indian experts will begin to share their expertise to start Sri Lanka's bamboo processing industry. India reportedly has the second largest bamboo stocks in the world after China.

With a total value of $ 15.9 million, the project will aim at developing a bamboo supply chain and product industry in the country, according to UNIDO-Sri Lanka National Director Nawaz Rajabdeen.

The Sri Lanka project vies to be the much needed first step to create a bamboo processing industry and supply chain mechanism in Sri Lanka. UNIDO supported similar projects in Vietnam, India and China. Sri Lanka's project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

According to the Forest Conservation Department sources there are no large-scale bamboo plantations in Sri Lanka planted either by the public or private sectors and currently bamboo cultivation is done in the country by informal sectors in small scale, except the cultivations under the Riverine Bamboo Project of Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka, which plans to cultivate them in selected river bank areas of Mahaweli project lands. Micro scale harvesters earn between Rs 250 to 300 per bamboo tree and from a grove of 50 trees, around 30 trees are harvested annually.

In this regard, UNIDO has organized a two day seminar titled "Bamboo processing in Sri Lanka" to be held on September 5 and 6 in Galle Face Hotel, Colombo as a pre-project preparation, with the participation of the Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen as the Chief Guest.

Research on Sri Lanka bamboos has revealed that there could be 10 to 14 varieties of bamboo in the country and some of them are used for utility purposes and household needs.