UNIDO to grow bamboo

Ramani KANGARAARACHCHI

The UNIDO plans to grow 2000 hectares of bamboo per year from 2012 in the Mahaweli region as there are many investment opportunities in the industrial sector, UNIDO Expert Piyasiri Gunasekera said.

He was speaking at a seminar on “Forest wood products and industrial opportunities in bamboo” at a seminar in Colombo yesterday.

He said these opportunities include development and expansion of plantation on timber and improved bamboo species, investment on research and development, under utilized waste the usage, potential construction with treated bamboo, saw mill and factory lay outs and auditing arrangements.

Gunasekara said the availability of wood industry waste, the huge export market for craft and furniture and the availability of activated carbon market, are some of the industry opportunities.

However, there are some threats as well as a result of low tax on imports that compete with poor quality imported timber, the over exploitation of wild bamboo resources and the migration of skilled craftmen from country leaving the industry, he said.