THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF BAMBOO

Not being just sustainable and eco-friendly material, bamboo also brings a lot of values to national economy. Bamboo is slim but the benefits are enormous. Thanks to planting bamboo, many life has changed, many families have grown up rich. The economic potential of bamboo is not defined.

Bamboo grows in harsh environment

Unlike other trees, bamboo can grow on any areas: from the garden to the field, from the river bank to the hill. In particular, bamboo can withstand in extreme weather, the green bamboo rows are the fences that protect human from the devastation of nature. Having the strong vitality, bamboo doesn’t need high technique or care from people. Even don’t need to supply chemicals from fertilizers or pesticides, bamboo will grow itself in natural conditions. One of the great benefits of bamboo: bamboo contributes positively to protect the environmental soil. For the land have been damaged by overgrazing or poor farming conditions, people oftens plant bamboo as a staring way to restore the land.

The economic value of bamboo

Being different to timber trees, planting bamboo has the low initial cost, so it reduces the investment burden for the farmers. Planting bamboo is easy to payback because every part of bamboo has economic value.

• Bamboo shoot has high nutritional value, is very popular in Western countries.
• Fresh bamboo leaves used for wrapping material, dried bamboo leaves used for organic fertilizer.
• Bamboo culm is used for building material, handicraft products exported.
• Bamboo root is used for fuel

The products made from bamboo are fresh and eco-friendly, so many customers are willing to pay premium 15% to buy it. Despite rustic material, the delicate rattan products are still worth thousands of dollars. Bamboo needs only 3-5 years to mature. After harvesting, bamboo will re-grow itself without planting new tree. Just like this, bamboo brings economic values almost year around. The Government in China, India, Indonesia are encouraging the farmers to develop bamboo to replace timber trees.

Vietnam has the large bamboo forest area

With 1,4 million ha of bamboo forest, Vietnam has the fourth largest planting bamboo area in the world, only after China, India and Myanmar. Especially, the price of bamboo in Vietnam only one third in China (compared to Anji, China), so it opens many competitive opportunities.

Economic value, culture value, indigenous value that bamboo brings so much, and certainly continue to increase in the future. Let’s respect and take advantage of that. Be good to bamboo, bamboo will be good to you!