"Luong" bamboo is used to make fine art products. (Photo: VNA)
Opportunities to foster the sustainable development of “luong” bamboo (dendrocalamus barbatus) have opened for the central province of Thanh Hoa as the locality is receiving technical and market support from international organisations.
“Luong” bamboo has benefitted the province, especially its remote and mountainous areas. However, provincial bamboo development has encountered a number of hindrances spurred by forest degradation, out-of-date processing technology, low-quality products and a small consumption market.
Addressing a conference held in the province on September 9-10, Christopher Abrams, Director of the Environmental and Social Development Office of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) highlighted that Thanh Hoa is an important partner in the project to develop “luong” bamboo in Vietnam.
USAID commits to working closely with the province to expand “luong” bamboo, contributing to protecting the environment and improving local livelihoods, he underscored, adding that Thanh Hoa needs to map out long-term strategies to integrate “luong” bamboo development into green growth and socio-economic development programmes.
The Vietnam Forest and Deltas (VFD) programme will continue assisting Thanh Hoa while calling for additional investors to join in, said Mark Fenn, Country Representative of Winrock International in Vietnam and VFD Director.
Vietnam is currently home to 1.4 million hectares of tropical Asian genus of giant bamboos, which are mainly planted in Thanh Hoa, Son La, Hoa Binh and Nghe An provinces. Thanh Hoa is the largest bamboo cultivated area in the country with over 204,000 hectares.
According to a report from the Mekong Bamboo Programme, about 350 domestic enterprises generated 280 million USD from exporting bamboo products to 120 foreign countries worldwide. However, the sector is facing tremendous challenges with product structure, mixed investment capacity in supply chains, market identification and trademark establishment.-VNA
