According to evidences, Bamboo is known as the tallest grass that can grow as tall as a tree. Not only the tallest it is also the fastest growing grass by means of rapidly spreading rhizomes. There are more than 1,000 kinds of bamboo. Most are found in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Some kinds of bamboo grow to a height of 130 feet.
Dendro calamus giganteus also known as Giant Bamboo or Dragon Bamboo is the tallest of all bamboos in the world with gigantic large culms between 25-35 meters tall and 15-30 cm in diameter clumping species native to Myanmar (Burma), Bhutan, China and Thailand.
Bamboo is used for multi purposes: construction, paper production, scaffolding, boat masts, rural housing, water pipes, vases, buckets, water pitchers, matting, boards and parquet, furniture, water pots, hats. Mainly, it decreases soil degradation by its root system and produces a large amount of biomass, even young shoots are good for food as vegetable products. What bamboo is not used for is nothing.
Though agro ecology of Ethiopia is so suitable for the development of Bamboo, the country has not exploited it adequately. In Ethiopian context, bamboo grows in many areas such as Masha, Shekicho, Keficho, Sidama, Awi zones and other highland and low land areas.
Worku Getu, a resident in Awi zone of Amhara State said he has been harvesting bamboo in Banja woreda of Kessa chewssa kebele. He has been selling bamboo for the community and other woredas for fulfilling home consumptions, he told us.
As to him, bamboo has a vital role for soil conservation purposes. Though bamboo is his major means of income, he is struggling poor market linkage, he said. As a result, he urges the government to strengthen market linkage on bamboo product.
Deputy Administrator and Agriculture Department Head of Awi zone, Ajebe Sinishaw told us 6 of 12 woredas have a potential of cultivating bamboo as the major income there. Off course, Ajebe notified that there is poor market linkage though bamboo is a big generator of income for the community. According to him, they are doing how to develop bamboo and to organize strong market linkage in a sustainable way.
According
to Ajebe, this poor market linkage will be solved in to two major ways: (1)
organizing youth to produce different materials and (2) transporting bamboo to
other zones to make
beneficiary
society. We should do more on the development of Bamboo at each levels (zone,
woreda, and kebele), he said.
People in South Region especially bamboo potential areas build their houses using bamboo. Hanqa Rekie, in Arbegona woreda of Sidama zone said, “I have bamboo trees that rest over wide range of land. It can be used for multi purposes such as housing and fencing, and I sell it to generate my income”.
Market linkage, here in our environment, is not strengthen well though DAs have advised us to cultivated improved bamboo varieties. I need support from the government to vacillate bamboo development and market linkage.
Melese Anshebo, Advisor of State Minister of Natural Resource Sector, said though the nation has not done well on bamboo development so far, now, federal and regional stakeholders agreed to cultivate bamboo as part of forest development in a coordinated way.
Melese added that we have discussed with regional experts, heads and stakeholders to organize bamboo seed centers in all regions of potential areas. It is so importance to organize youths for creating job opportunity in participating bamboo development by scaling up other countries’ experience, Melese said.
Kaba Urgessa (PhD), State Minister of Agriculture, states that though the agro ecology of nation is suitable for bamboo development, we have utilized a littler from the product. Since bamboo has high economic value, we should organize the youths to join to work in short time, he said.
Though bamboo development is at the beginning stage that its coverage estimates one million hectare in the nation, let usaware and inspire the people to realize bamboo developmentas Chinese even we can attract the investors to build manufacturing and industries on bamboo sector if we work hard.
Chinese promised us for building bamboo manufacturing if we cultivate more bamboo that will result increasing our foreign exchange, Kaba remind.
“We are going to cultivate at least one billion improved bamboo seeds through multiplying seed varieties starting the coming year and agreed with regions to do more soon”, Kaba sates.The nation has adopted 15 bamboo varieties from China, 5 of them have been testified well suitable for our agro ecology, the seven ones are under testifying while 3 of them failed, he said.
Besides to its economic role, theonlyalternative to cover the mountainous areas in a short period of time is cultivating bamboo, because bamboo is the fastest and the tallest grass that can grow tall rapaidly on hills, the state minister said.
Finally, Kaba urges the community,
media and other stakeholders in order to promote bamboo development to be
beneficiary.
The Ethiopian Herald August 31, 2019
BY BAHIRU SETEGNE
