HCMCity (VNS/VNA) - Demand for bamboo products is rising globally,offering Vietnam the opportunity to foster the industry.

Bamboo consumption is 400 – 500 million culms for various purposes annually,including making products for export.

With more than 720 handicraft villages that make bamboo productsand over 1,000 bamboo and rattan production and trading establishments andcompanies, Vietnam is currently the fourth largest exporter of bamboo andrattan after China, the EU and Indonesia.

“The world has shifted to products made from regenerative andenvironment-friendly materials from timber, plastic and steel,” said Vo TanThanh, director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)’s HCMCity office.

Bamboo not only has high economic value but also helps cover bare land andhills to prevent erosion and protect watershed forests and contributes topoverty reduction, Thanh said at the seminar ‘Green Steel – Potential inthe Domestic and Export Markets’ held last week in HCM City.

Pham Quoc Khanh, chairman of the Minh Thang Ecology Wood Bamboo Joint StockCompany, said: “Vietnam has an enormous natural source of bamboo.”

The global trade in 2018-19 was worth nearly 70 billion USD, and “Demand forbamboo products is increasing rapidly, offering a great opportunity for Vietnam’sbamboo industry,” Khanh said.

According to Khanh, with annual exports of 250 million USD, the bamboo industryhas attracted more attention and investment. However, it faces a number ofdifficulties that affect its competitiveness, including lack of reliable supplyof bamboo, backward equipment and technologies, lack of manpower, poor design,and lack of copyrights for its products.

“Businesses have also faced difficulty finding outlets for their products dueto a lack of human resources for marketing, market research and promotion,” hesaid.

They therefore export their products mainly throughintermediaries or produce for foreign brands.

With the use of modern technology, bamboo is no longer used onlyto make household products and handicrafts, but also industrial items.

Nguyen Trong Nghia, founder of the BWG Mai Chau JS Company, saidindustrial products made from bamboo are quite new in Vietnam, but are verypopular in developed countries, especially the EU.

Due to their hardness, scratch- heat- and water-proof qualities and greatstability in all weather conditions, bamboo is used to make mats, curtains andpaper and has replaced wood in making partitions, walls, flooring, scaffolding,and furniture for houses, resorts, restaurants, airports, swimming pools, andchurches, he said.

Delegates said bamboo products have the advantage of being safe,environment-friendly, durability, and reasonable prices.

Leading bamboo product producers have displayed a wide range ofproducts, and attracted a large number of visitors at the event.

Organised by VCCI, Vietbuild Home 2020 International Exhibitionorganisation committee and the Advocacy Committee forthe establishment of the Vietnam Bamboo Association as part of theVietbuild Home expo being held at the SECC in District 7 from December 26 to30, the event offers an opportunity for producers of bamboo products to meetpotential buyers and solution providers.

It is part of promotional efforts under the EU-funded ‘Inclusive andsustainable clam and bamboo value chains development in Vietnam’s projectcarried out by Oxfam, ICAFIS and the VCCI in 2018-22./.