Bamboo and rattan sector eyes sustainable development

VGP – The bamboo and rattan sector has expanded 10-15% annually, requiring at least one billion bamboo trees and 100,000 tons of rattan each year, according to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hồ Xuân Hùng.

November 22, 2010 6:14 PM GMT+7

Illustration photo

By 2020, it is forecasted that Việt Nam will have to import 33,000 tons of rattan, said Deputy Minister Hồ Xuân Hùng at a seminar on Việt Nam’s bamboo and rattan.

Hence, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), said Mr. Hùng, intends to maintain around 1.6 million hectares of bamboo and rattan and plan to expand other 165,000 hectares.

Bamboo and rattan were selected as one of key forestry products for poverty reduction and economic development in rural areas in Việt Nam in the period of 2011-2015 with a vision toward 2020.

Accordingly, the MARD will combine the exploitation and development of the rattan and bamboo sector with biodiversity, application of biotechnology, and forestry processing industry.

By 2020, rattan and bamboo cultivation will ensure 20-30% of income for households in mountainous and rural areas.

It is reported that the turnover of rattan and bamboo export went up from US $48 million in 1999 to US $224.7 million in 2008, and is expected to reach US $300 million in 2010.

Made-in-Việt Nam rattan and bamboo products are present in 120 markets worldwide.

The sector has a workforce of 340,000 laborers in over 700 craft villages in Việt Nam./.

By Khánh Phương