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Let us look back at the Objectives of the Ministerial Workshop 

The workshop was aimed at enhancing

1. the understanding of senior government officials from developing countries on the important role that bamboo and rattan has played in poverty alleviation.

2. the role of bamboo and rattan in environmental protection ( through high-level exchanges, visits and seminars) - the field trips that took the participants the forrest and to some factories has contributed a solid first hand experience of this)

3. the knowledge of how to implement sustainable development.

4. and deepening the friendship and cooperation between china and other developing countries. (travelling together on the bus and the opportunity to interact at meals worked very well)

The delegates were focused on the theme of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo “Better City, Better Life” demonstrating how various countries promote sustainable development through bamboo and rattan resources.

THE BAMBOO IS FIRST CUT STEAMED AND STACKED BEFORE GOING TO THE SPLITTER

End Of A Successful Ministerial Workshop

All the Ministers of  Governments and assistants who accompanied them are heading back to their respective countries.

The workshop was attended by 34 persons from 20 countries.

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY, INVESTMENT AND COMMERCE HON. MICHAEL STERN  VISITED A BAMBOO FORREST IN ANJI COUNTY IN CHINA DURING THE FIELD TRIP OF THE MINISTERIAL WORKSHOP ON BAMBOO AND RATTAN SECTOR DEVELOPMENT WHICH ENDED ON 29 MAY 2010

Modern Bamboo Woood looks no differnt from Timber Wood

Funiture is now being made from Bamboo Wood that looks no different from Timber Wood with the added benefit that  Bamboo is easier to grow and if properly done does not cause a depletion of Forrests.

At the Ministerial Workshop this was demonstrated in many ways. Bamboo in fact helps to prevent soil erosion even when cut whereas cutting down trees makes the earth more susceptible to landslides and erosion.

BLACKBERRY SHOT OF SCHOOL FURNITURE MADE FROM BAMBOO. FURNITURE MADE FROM BAMBOO USING MODERN TECHNOLOGY LOOKS NO DIFFERENT FROM FURNITURE MADE FROM TIMBER WOOD.

The participants in the Ministerial Workshop on Bamboo and Rattan Sector Development came from the following Countries:

Bhutan
Philippines
Malaysia
Nepal
Thailand
India
Vietnam
Burundi
Togo
Ghana
Rwanda
Moazambique
Cameroon
Kenya
Tanzania
Sierra Leone
Uganda
Colombia
Cuba
Jamaica

BLACKBERRY CAMERA SHOT SHOWS A MANAGED BAMBOO PLANTATION IN ZHEJIANG, ANJI COUNTY.

Today some participants paid a cultural visit to the Forbidden City.

Government played a key role in promoting bamboo industrial development in China. The Jamaican Government will need to do the following:

1. Make strategic plans for bamboo development
2. Empower farmers with land management rights
3. Provide favorable financial policies
4. Support bamboo product market establishment
5. Research and development of new technologies and new products
6. Capacity building of farmers and enterprises, technology extension

If we were to immediaely start with a policy that quality school furniture should comprise bamboo instead of timber wood and work towards that through the production of bamboo to support the policy, 9 new rural jobs would be created for every 1 job currently emloyed. The bamboo wood would look no different from timber wood and would be just as strong.

Bamboo is getting increasingly important because

1. the world’s forrests are shrinking and bamboo is an excellent wood substitute
2. it is cheap, efficient, fast growing and easy to manage
3. it is environmentally friendly

History of Bamboo Development In China

Before 1980: Traditional management and use of bamboo
After 1985: China began introduction of  bambo processing machines from Thailand to the mainland
From 1990: Most machines made in the mainland and bamboo industry developed in all provinces

Bamboo products  such as bamboo floor, decoration board, laminated bamboo furniture, bamboo charcoal products, bamboo fiber products, bamboo handicrafts, and bamboo shoot) are exported mainly to Japan, North America and Europe; The export value increased from 0.17 billion USD in 1990 to 1.5 billion USD in 2007, about $1.77 billion in 2009.

 Summary of today’s proceedings.

1. The Climate Change Challenge and Bamboo
   (Dr. Lou Yiping - Programme Director, INBAR)
2. Bamboo Products and their Markets in India and the World
   (Dr. Rama Rob - Programme Director, INBAR)
3. Closing Ceremony
4. Cosing Reception
5. Discussion and Exchanges
6. All The Participants

Summary of today’s proceedings.

Today Burundi was elevated to be the 36th member of INBAR in a Flag raising ceremony. The workshop continued with the following presentations

1. Bamboo and Rattan: Custom Code and Trade Statistics

2. The Global Rattan Progamme

3. The Global Housing Programme

4. The Development and Application of Bamboo as new Building Materials

I will be linking the presentations to the PowerPoint files as soon as possible

INBAR CONGRESS ABSTRACTS
GLOBAL HOUSING PROGRAMME

The Ministerial Workshop on Bamboo and Rattan Development continues… 

Compared to timber , bamboo is a fast growing plant which is a good source of “green energy”. If you replace firewood and charcoal with the equivalent bamboo product you solve the problem of deforestation. This source of  “household energy” will regrow after being cut and continues to hold the soil unlike the equivalent cutting of timber where the tree dies. 

It is to be noted that where the cutting of timber appears to be “free” entire forests are being depleted versus the planting of bamboo which carries a cost. In the long run however bamboo is sustainable for development of the economies of poor countries because of its ease of production and quick turn around.

Since 2007 the trade in bamboo and rattan has been around five billion US dollars per year. The trade took the form of flooring material, charcoal, matting, furniture, bamboo shoots for consumption etc. The International trade (not including local which is difficult to verify) was 2.5 billion US dollars in 2007 and took the form of  raw materials, industrial products, plaited products, furniture, shoots for consumption.

Intensive Action Research and Development is being done by INBAR (scietific research not done by INBAR) with a lot of exciting results. 

BAMBOO MOUSE

This Mouse is made from Bamboo. In Anji they use Bamboo to make nearly everything that timber wood is used to make.

Below you can see the German/Chinese Pavilion which is made of bamboo and bamboo beams at the 2010 Shanghai Expo.

China Sunrise: Day 8 Coming Up !

The time is now 5:10 am  on Wednesday 26 May 2010 here in China (4:10 pm on Tuesday 25 May 2010 in Jamaica) and I got awake early to the chirping birds outside.

I am now in the Anhui Province in Taiping City. So far I have travelled from Beijing by air to Shanghai. Then from Shanghai to   Zhejiang Province then from Zhejiang Province to Anhui. Later today after checking out of this station in Anhui I will be flying back to Beijing.

It will be a very informative and intesting day today where the Bamboo and Rattan experience is expected to be even more revealing.

BAMBOO IS NOW SEEN AS “GREEN GOLD” AND IF WE ARE SERIOUS WE CAN MINE IT TOO. PICTURE SHOWS ONE STEP IN THE PRE-PROCESSING OF BAMBOO TO MAKE SEVERAL PRODUCTS. IN THE ZHEJIANG, ANJI PROVINCE IT ACCOOUNTS FOR 30% OF OUTPUT

Visit to the Germplasm Conservation Bank

Today the delegates visited the Taiping Station for Bamboo and Flower Germplasm Conservation. Here over 250 speicies of Bamboo are germinated and research is done on ensuring preservation as well as propogation of new species…more coming soon. For more about Germplasm please download PowerPoint here… Germplasm

BAMBOO HOUSE MODEL 

The construction Demonstration plant at Taiping was also visited. Two demonstration houses were built in 2005 and presently the lessons learned can be used to make modular bamboo houses that are energy efficient and earthquake ready. After this 5 year test an investigation the plant is now in the process of building 3 more demonstration houses…..more coming soon. 

We arrived at the Anhui province after a 4 hour drive from the Zhejiang province on 24 May 2010 at approx 5: 24 pm. I just thought that maybe it would be appropriate to give those who are seriously following this workshop an understanding of the objectives as I understand it:

MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE MINISTERAL WORKSHOP

The workshop is aimed at enhancing

1. the understanding of senior government officials from developing countries on the important role that bamboo and rattan has played in poverty alleviation (the Inbar Congress assisted in achieving some element of this to date)

2. the role of bamboo and rattan in environmental protection ( through high-level exchanges, visits and seminars) - the visits to the forrest and to some factories has contributed a solid first hand experience of this)

3. the knowledge of how to implement sustainable development, (this is to be elucidated I hope)

4. and deepening the friendship and cooperation between china and other developing countries. (travelling together on teh bus and the opportunity to interact at meals is working well to date)

The delegates so far have also been focused on the theme of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo “Better City, Better Life” demonstrating how various countries promote sustainable development through bamboo and rattan resources.