Bamboo was not considered very profitable. What has changed?
- Bamboo product manufacturers have installed more automated machines for processing. So, there is more demand for bamboo.
- In addition to the domestic market, now there is increasing demand for export of bamboo shoots to Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea and other countries.
- You can now get high yielding plants by tissue culture method.
- Thorns cause problems while farming and harvesting. Now you can get thornless varieties for planting.
- Bamboo used to be labor intensive. More tools are being developed to aid farmers.
- During the year 2007–08, 200 farmers have been trained in bamboo cultivation at Forest College Mettupalayam, Tamil Nadu. During the year 2008–09, there are plans to train 2300 farmers under advanced technology bamboo cultivation.
Other benefits of bamboo cultivation:
- Bamboo can yield as much as 20 times more timber than other trees for the given size of land.
- Unlike most tropical hardwood species, which take about 30 years to mature, bamboo shoots and culms (stems) can be harvested at about three to four years after planting.
- Bamboo thrives on degraded land.
Tissue culture bamboo plant suppliers:
Growmore Biotech Ltd, Hosur, Tamil Nadu
Note: Please note that we don't endorse any supplier.
8 comments:
Thanks for the article! This was helpful! I noticed some bamboo growing in my folks backyard and saw some growing else where and it peaked my interest.
Three to four year turn around for bamboo, wow! And it thrives on degraded land? Huuum.... some
Last year I came up with the idea of planting bamboo on my family's 64 acre farm for profit/improving my local environment. I am 27 years old, half Chinese, half American from Alabama and I felt the need to do something prestige for Alabama agriculture. Our farm was once to graze cattle, but I want to replace the pastures with acres of bamboo.
Neighboring farms to our land grows pine for paper companies. It takes years for them to grow and it leaves behind an ugly mess for a decade after they cut the trees down.
Bamboo will replenish itself much faster than trees. I want to help other farmers in my area, but in order for me to begin I need some direction. Please e-mail me if anyone has any advice.
I'm also interested in growing bamboo in the midwest. Please e-mail me at info@vail-partners.com
Peter, I am just researching bamboo yields. From what I have read Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana are great states for large cane timber bamboo, particularly the Moso variety, which is what 95% of the products imported from china are made out of. I'm from Washington state and the climate here is quite a bit cooler than down there (So different varieties grow well here), but we've got an amazing Bamboo network here and alot of great resources.
Basically once you plant this stuff it will take 3-4 years for the root/rhizome structure to establish, but then you can selectively harvest it and a new forest will spring up in it's place the following spring. Depending on what kind of end product you're producing you'll want to let the new stocks mature for more or less years. Chipping for Bioenergy you could probably harvest 20 foot alternating swaths every other year, whereas producing into hardwood or veneers you'll want to let the stocks mature for several years to get the desired hardness and strength. There's techniques of thinning that increase stock size and shoot yield, etc.. contact me at altenergyresearch@gmail.com
Peter, I am just researching bamboo yields. From what I have read Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana are great states for large cane timber bamboo, particularly the Moso variety, which is what 95% of the products imported from china are made out of. I'm from Washington state and the climate here is quite a bit cooler than down there (So different varieties grow well here), but we've got an amazing Bamboo network here and alot of great resources.
Basically once you plant this stuff it will take 3-4 years for the root/rhizome structure to establish, but then you can selectively harvest it and a new forest will spring up in it's place the following spring. Depending on what kind of end product you're producing you'll want to let the new stocks mature for more or less years. Chipping for Bioenergy you could probably harvest 20 foot alternating swaths every other year, whereas producing into hardwood or veneers you'll want to let the stocks mature for several years to get the desired hardness and strength. There's techniques of thinning that increase stock size and shoot yield, etc.. contact me at altenergyresearch@gmail.com
i have four acres of bamboo in florida i would like to sell the bamboo can any one help me sellit
Along with this psychological and aesthetic goodness plants can also
provide direct health benefits. The creation of and use of these products all have an impact on our lives, at both the microscopic
and global scale. Bamboo is a durable hardwood that will last for many years.
my blog post: what is bamboo
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