The Bamboo and Rattan Sectors in Asia: an Analysis of ... - INBAR

Plantation development
The authors of the report also examined the financial feasibility of bamboo
planting under current market conditions. The net present value of a 1-ha bamboo
plantation over a 10 year period was computed to be P443 837 at 12% discount rate
and P187 644 at 25%.
Constraints and opportunities
Raw material production is of very low intensity, while marketing and utilization
are of low to medium intensity. There is scope for improved management; aspects
that need attention range from better prices for raw material to research on technology
for preservative treatment.
Bamboo in Anji, China: a Case Study of an Intensive Productionto-Consumption
System 13
Introduction
Bamboo is one of the most important forest resources in China. There is a long
history of bamboo plantation management in the country and very large amounts of
bamboo are produced. Beginning in the 1980s, a series of policy reforms have led to
rapid growth in the bamboo processing industry, resulting in large increases in income
and employment.
This study looked at a thriving bamboo sector in Anji country of Zhejiang
Province, one of the economically dynamic coastal provinces close to Shanghai. The
country is very hilly, with a relatively small area of arable land and a large population.
With only 0.054 ha or arable land per person food crop production is just enough to
meet local needs. As mineral wealth is also limited, rural people depend on forest
management on the hillsides. Bamboo is a key resource, accounting for 51% of total
forest resources and covering 30% of total land area. The production of bamboo
culms reached 30 000 tons in 1995, along with 3 200 tons of bamboo shoots and 6 000
tons of bamboo by-products.
Bamboo processing industry has also taken off in recent years. The bamboo
sector accounts for 50-80% of the total industrial output in several major bamboo
processing townships. The total output of the bamboo sector in the country is close
to 50% of the county's agricultural and husbandry production. The sector also earns
30% of the county's total revenue.
13 By Zhong Maogong, Xie Chen, Zheng Wei, Fu Maoyi and Xie Jinzhong (China National Forestry
Economics and Development Research Center, Chinese Academy of Forestry).
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