The bamboo processing industry can be a major foreign exchange earner and will have a 20,000 potential job market, United Nationals Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Senior Industrial Development Officer, Antonios Levissianos said.
Speaking to Daily News Business he said that today although a few thousands of people are engaged in the growing and processing bamboo they are not reaping full benefits and are only using them for handicraft.
"Today bamboo is heavily being used to make wood tiles, furniture tops, industuriies and its shoots are a luxury food item."
The project, 'Bamboo Processing for Sri Lanka', a UNIDO-Government of Sri Lanka-GEF initiative aims at developing a bamboo supply chain and process industry in the country, for the first time in history of Sri Lanka.
"We believe that bamboo can give livelihood at village levels by direct and indirect employment, and also act as feedstock for biomass-in that can also be able to address fuel wood demand for the domestic and industrial sectors which has shown a steady increase during the last few years."
He said that for the first time UNIDO has also come up with funding and would soon sign an MOU with Hatton National Bank for US$ 600, 000 to offer low interest credit for bamboo growers and also for industrialists who are keen to start industries using bamboo as raw material.
Association of Bamboo Growers and Industry President Nawaz Rajabdeen said three private companies have contacted them and sought technical assistance to set up factories to produce bamboo based wooden tiles, fibre glass raw material pants and furniture boards for table tops.
"In addition a company is also keen to use bamboo shoots and create a canning factory targeting the future food industry potential."
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