Bamboo: An untapped goldmine

By Shantha Ramanayake

At the 8th World Bamboo Congress held in Bangkok in 2009, the World Bamboo Day was declared as 18th of September. This was an effort to bring the potential of bamboo to a more elevated exposure, protect natural resources and the environment, ensure sustainable utilization, promote cultivation of bamboo for new industries and promote traditional uses and community economic development. In this context, what has Sri Lanka achieved in developing bamboo cultivation and utilising it for the economic and environmental benefits?

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a global economic crisis and we must think of new avenues of being self-sufficient in areas where we have the potential. Lockdowns and the closure of many industries and organisations have led to the loss of livelihoods everywhere.

Against this backdrop, the potential of a bamboo as a means of creating new lively hoods needs to be reconsidered. There is an increased awareness of the value of bamboo as an environment friendly fast growing source of wood that can be substituted for timber. Bamboo flooring, panels, mat board, strand woven bamboo, ply wood, etc., are now industrially manufactured in many countries, especially in China, which is the global centre for bamboo industries. These products are sought after for their durability and strength in the building construction sector and in making furniture as a timber substitute. This indirectly protects forests as valuable forest trees need not be harvested for timber. India, Indonesia, some Latin American and African countries endowed with bamboo forests have also started bamboo based industries and planted large extents of useful bamboo. These well-managed bamboo plantations have higher yields than natural stands. Thus, bamboo farming and related industries have become a new means of lively- hood generation. Thus it is considered the miracle plant of the 21st century!

There are a few industrial applications of bamboo in Sri Lanka but the raw material is mostly imported. A recent news report mentioned that bamboo sticks imported from India for making incense sticks are no longer available. Many tons of bamboo sticks were imported annually. These can be easily turned out here if the cutting and splitting machinery is locally turned out and bamboo stands identified and permits issued for harvesting and transport. Bamboo strips are imported to weave boxes for tea leaf packing, bamboo yarn for clothing, bamboo culms for making flooring are among some local applications of bamboo which depend on imported raw material. These are all however relatively small-scale applications. Fresh edible shoot are also available in the local market at times.

Regretfully unlike our neighboring countries, Sri Lanka is not utilizing bamboo profitably although we are located in a region where bamboo grows naturally. Its main use is in the handicraft sector and as scaffolding for building construction. Most of our handicrafts do not have the novelty and finish required for the export market. Bamboo blinds are also turned out depending on demand. The local market is declining as the craft workers find it difficult to compete with cheaper plastic substitutes available locally. This has been an ancient craft with skills handed down over generations and needs to be revived.

Over one million plants of bamboo has been planted from 2004 to date as claimed by the Mahaweli Authority. Surviving plants are scattered, because of poor aftercare, in various locations and it is difficult to harvest and transport them. Mahaweli authority of Sri Lanka has the technology for mass scale production of bamboo by tissue culture and an output of nearly 200,000 plants per year. They must incorporate more useful species in their production lines. Thus we have the capacity to raise sufficient plants for plantation establishment which is not available in many other countries in the region.

To realize the potential of bamboo for new industries it is absolutely necessary to raise plantations with suitable bamboo species. This was hindered due to the misinterpretation that large-scale bamboo cultivation – as required for a bamboo based industry- was not viable for our country. Baseless reasoning that bamboo leads to depletion of soil water, desertification, cause soil erosion and invasive etc. voiced by certain individuals has misled the authorities. This is similar to the misinformation about oil palm guzzling up water more than rubber when an erroneous comparison was made on the evapotranspiration of the two crops.

There is a myth that bamboo will deplete water in the soil. Bamboo is a grass and its roots do not penetrate deep into the soil. It has an underground network of rhizomes and roots that bind the soil preventing erosion. Local farmers were aware of these facts in the past and planted bamboo in suitable locations. The rhizome traps the leaf litter and run off water during rains. Thus water is absorbed into the soil and stored in the rhizome and culms. The soil is gradually built up and ameliorated when planted in degraded lands. Bamboo is fast growing and will need water like any other tree crop. During drought it sheds leaves to conserve water. Plants do have various methods to conserve water. A well-established bamboo plantation will thus store soil water and limit evapotranspiration. There is a report that in India when bamboo was planted in a soil degraded due to brick making, the soil soon became richer and the water table rose and inhabitants were able to grow crops and also supply bamboo for industries that were created. A similar report in China also mentions that bamboo cultivation in a degraded soil caused the water table to rise.

It is reported that bamboo in general is invasive. Bambusa bambos (katu una) growing in some parts of the dry zone has grown extensively to become invasive. The local farmers do not harvest this because of the thorns but in India it is utilized in many ways (for paper pulp, as a timber substitute etc.). Recent recommendation was to burn it down! If proper cutting equipment and protective gear are used this could be utilized even as a fuel wood. I have seen this species planted along a stream near Katugastota Matale road from the time it was planted until now. It has become an impenetrable row extending some distance- ideal if planted to grow into fences replacing electric fences in villages attacked by elephants.

Another misinformation is bamboo as a mono crop plantation will have adverse effects. Many plantation crops like coconut, rubber and tea are also mono crops. Mixed bamboo species could be grown together. Bamboo is recommended for cultivation in underutilized or degraded soils where no other agricultural crop could be raised. Many such places are available. Abandoned tea plantations with degraded soil in the upcountry are ideal. Bamboo planting along river banks has been curtailed by certain organizations as they infer that bamboo will damage the riverbank. This is due to sand miners digging into the river bank dislodging bamboo. In fact bamboo should be planted behind the flood line which needs to be extended with the prevailing heavy rainfalls that often lead to flash floods. Giant bamboos with a large rhizome which can hold the river bank as a live wall is suitable whereas smaller species like reed bamboo can be grown along stream sides. Bamboo is a grass and the older culms need to be removed to induce new growth. The old culms die and collapse into the river if not removed. Thus the plant needs to be managed by sustainable harvesting of culms a resource much needed by craftsmen. Clump management practices and preventing illegal activities rather than stopping bamboo planting is what is needed.

There are many other uses of bamboo such as manufacture of paper pulp. This is the oldest industrial application and is done on a large-scale in India and China. Edible bamboo shoots are a thriving industry in Indonesia. Dendrocalamus asper is the most suitable species and it grows well here. Bamboo is used to make rayon for clothing, for making charcoal and as a fuel wood especially in tea factories and for generating electricity (dendropower), etc.. to name a few.

Constraints to the development of a bamboo industry in Sri Lanka

It is necessary to assure the growers that they will be able to harvest their produce with least state interference.

Most of the land available for bamboo cultivation is state owned and it is important to ensure security of land tenure and ownership of plants to encourage cultivation.

Restrictions on harvesting and transport of bamboo need to be updated. Legislations on bamboo protection made as far back as 1992 by the Forest Department need to be reviewed as the present situation demands. Sustainable management practices have to be enforced and license to harvest issued based only on such practices.

The Central Government of India recently categorized bamboo as a grass enabling its harvest from bamboo plantations while bamboos in forests still remains categorized under trees to prevent their over-exploitation. Similar actions are needed here and the Government of Sri Lanka must pay serious attention to reviewing and amending constraints to cultivation of bamboo.

There are many young entrepreneurs who are ready to start new ventures. We all can get together to promote the potential of bamboo towards alleviating poverty and ensuring economic development of the country!