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RESTRICTED 12 April 2016
Original: English
Technical Report:
TECHNICAL FOLLOW-UP
BAMBOO PROCESSING IN SRI LANKA
SAP ID REF # 100043-2014
1000043-1-04-01 BL1100
Prepared for the
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
Based on the work of
Victor Brias Matilla
International Consultant
UNIDO Project Manager: Mr. Antonios Levissianos
DRAFT
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1
II. Terms of Reference............................................................................................................ 2
III. List of Contacts and Meeting Notes .................................................................................. 4
IV. Bamboo Workshop at Galle Face Hotel on 9 March 2016 .............................................. 18
V. Field Trip to Kahawatte Plantations PLC (DILMAH) at Ratnapura ................................... 20
VI. Field Trip to Walpita Farm in Gampaha ........................................................................... 23
VII. Proposed Species for Bamboo Plantations in Sri Lanka .................................................. 29
VIII. Summary of Feedback from Stakeholders ....................................................................... 36
IX. Provisional Framework for a Bamboo Strategy for Sri Lanka .......................................... 39
X. References ....................................................................................................................... 44
1
I. Introduction
This report covers the work by Victor Brias, International Consultant (IC), for UNIDO Project Bamboo
Processing in Sri Lanka. It covers the ICs mission to Sri Lanka during the month of March 2016,
including home-based work.
One of the main reasons for the visit to Sri Lanka was to give a presentation during the Bamboo
Workshop organized by UNIDO on the 9th of March at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo. A soft copy of
the presentation was submitted to UNIDO more than a week prior to the event and has been resent by
email for inclusion as an annex to this report.
In addition, the IC was held meetings with stakeholders in the bamboo sector and visited potential
plantation sites areas. The IC was accompanied by Dr. Niels Schulz (UNIDO Environmental Consultant)
in all field trips and in most meetings.
Meetings with various stakeholders from the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), private sector, and
researchers were held; the interactions with stakeholders were useful for getting feedback about
expectations and plans of stakeholders in relation to bamboo. They were particularly useful for
formulating a provisional bamboo strategy framework that is included towards the end of this report.
A field visit to Ratnapura was made to (1) assess land for prospective bamboo pilot plantations at tea
estates and (2) learn about the use and effectiveness of bio-char as applied in Sri Lanka’s tea plantations.
A field visit was also made to Walpita Seed Farm of the Department of Agriculture in Gampaha. The
farm is the site of a bamboo plantation and nursery that was established at least 8 years ago, and which is
still active today as a supplier of bamboo planting materials.
This report includes, as per his job description, an updated list of species for bamboo plantations in Sri
Lanka. Recommendations of species made in previous missions remain the same, the main addition
being Melocanna baccifera which grows well in Walpita Farm, and which can potentially be used for
erosion control and as a source of biomass.
In addition to items listed in the job description, the IC prepared 2 documents that can serve as resource
information for stakeholders who were requesting for information about the economics of planting
bamboo as well as practical information about growing bamboo.
The 2 documents the IC prepared are (1) a revised and shortened version of the pre-feasibility study
(prepared in 2014) for a 100 ha bamboo plantation with intercropping and (2) a document entitled:
“Bamboo For Sri Lanka–Bamboo Cultivation and Post Harvest Treatments: Some Tips for the Layman. “
Both documents have been sent to the the Project Manager by email for inclusion as annexes to this
report. The documents have also been sent to the Association of Bamboo Growers and Industry of Sri
Lanka, which should (following the instruction of the Project Manager) take charge of distributing the
documents to stakeholders.
2
II. Terms of Reference
3
4
III. List of Contacts and Meeting Notes
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
Mr. Nawaz Rajabdeen
National Director
UNIDO Focal Point Office
73/1 Galle Road
Colombo-03, Sri Lanka
and
President
Association of Bamboo Growers &
Industry
c/o Ministry of Industry and Commerce
UNIDO Focal Point Office
Tel. +94 11 2325869, 2542103
Fax: +94 11 2325869
Mobile + 94 77 7722128
E-mail: [email protected]
Several meetings were held with Mr. Nawaz from 8-19
March to discuss and provide feedback on the ICs
activities and meetings.
Mr. Nawaz was very helpful in organizing meetings with
private sector companies particularly with:
o Dr. Neville Fernando of SAITM
o Dr. Jaanaki Gooneratne of BPO LANKA (Pvt.)
Ltd
o Mr. Danesh Abeyrathne (COO of Gal Oya
Plantations (Pvt) Ltd and Mrs. Sharmini
Wickremasekera of LOLC Group
o Mrs. Indika Sellahewa, International Society For
Small And Medium Enterprises (ISSME)
Anusha Lalani Ediweera (NPC)
National Project Coordinator
Bamboo Processing in Sri Lanka
UNIDO Focal Point Office
73/1, Galle Road
Colombo-03, Sri Lanka
Tel. / Fax +94 11 2542103
Mobile +94 717268742
E-mail: [email protected]
The NPC provided assistance in organizing meetings on
the request of ICs V. Brias and N. Schulz.
On the request of the ICs, she provided information
regarding Sustainable Green Energy (Pvt.) Ltd.
Note: News published about Sustainable Green Energy
(Pvt.) Ltd. on the internet indicates that the project has
obtained a green light for the GoSL to start large scale
(2000 acres) bamboo plantations in Vavunia district that
will serve as feedstock for bioenergy. But this
information is false.
The NPC was able to contact the Director of the
Agriculture Department in Vavunia who confirmed that
there is no bamboo plantation project in Vavunia because
the Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed
project of Sustainable Green Energy (Pvt.) Ltd was not
approved.
Due to this information, the ICs (V. Brias & N. Schulz)
decided – in consultation with Mr. Levissianos and Mr.
Rajabdeen - to cancel the planned trip to Vavunia district.
Instead, it was decided to:
o Hold meetings with plantations companies that
have indicated (in past missions) that they have
some land that can be cultivated with bamboo
o Visit bamboo growing areas in Ratnapura and
Gampaha
5
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
Mr. Susantha Julian Payoe
Managing Director
Euroasia Agro (Pvt) Ltd.
Industrial Park, Ulapane, Gampola
Sri Lanka
Mob. +94 777 777 606
Tel. / Fax + 94 112 232 399
E-mail: [email protected]
www.euroasiaplantbiotec.com
USA Office
42847, Sykes Terrace
Chantilla, VA 20152, USA
Mob. (001) 703 338 6848
Tel. (001) 703 323 1430
Fax. (001) 703 425 3418
Meeting Date/venue: Tuesday, 8 March 2016 at Hilton Hotel
Colombo
He is planning to start up a tissue culture lab in Sri Lanka
for the production of agricultural planting material
(bananas & others unspecified) and wants to produce
bamboo.
He intends to collaborate with Shantha Ramanayake for
the micropropagation of bamboo.
He had a list of various species including D.asper, D.
hookerii, D. giganteus, B. vulgaris, B. Balcooa, B.
bambos B. blumeyana, B. textilis.
His main concern is the market for bamboo planting
material and was expecting to make a buy-back
agreement with UNIDO to ensure the sale of his plants.
He was informed that UNIDO does not deal directly with
the private sector in business matters.
There is increasing awareness about the potential of
bamboo in Sri Lanka, and as a private sector enterprise he
will have do his own marketing and sales.
The IC suggested to Mr Payoe that once his TC lab is
established, he should consider taking the necessary
actions for obtaining AQIS (Australian Quarantine
Inspection Service) Accreditation, which is regarded as a
quality label of tissue culture plant growers worldwide.
Mrs. Shantha Ramanayake
Tissue Culture / Bamboo Consultant
Kandy, Sri Lanka
Mobile: 0718381263
Tel.: 0812310499
E-mail:
Meeting Date: 9 March 2016. Follow up telephone
conversations and emails from 10 – 17 March 2016.
She is the scientist responsible for developing the tissue
culture protocols for bamboo for the MASL Riverine
Bamboo Project. She was the main person responsible for
designing the TC laboratory and making it function
efficiently.
The IC initially made contact with her in 2010 during the
preparatory assistance for the project.
Renewed contact was made during the conference on 9
March 2016, followed up by various telephone and email
discussion between March 11-19.
IC informed her about the interest of Dilmah
Conservation to start ASAP with a pilot bamboo
Plantation of 50 -100 ha.
She confirmed that she is available to provide technical
assistance.
She contacted Mr. Attanayake, Director of Mahaweli
Authority of Sri Lanka to obtain information on the
current status of the MASL TC lab at Kothmale.
NOTE: The IC contacted Mr. Attanayake, Director of MASL
back in 2014 to inquire about the price and availability of
bamboo plants. In 2014, Mr. Attanayake said that the price
per planting material from tissue culture, grown to the size of
6
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
1 m in polybags is Rs 60 per plant; for large quantities this
price can be reduced to Rs 45 per plant.
Shantha Ramanayake confirmed that the lab at Kothmale
currently has a stock of 20 thousand D. hookeri plants
that are about 0.5 m tall and ready for planting. The cost
per plant at Kothmale is Rs 60.
MASL has stopped propagating D. asper and D.
giganteus, but they need the assistance to Shanta
Ramanayake, since those species are more difficult to
propagate.
Hearing about the interest of Dilmah in Bamboo, Mr
Attanayake offered to give Dilmah about 100 large D.
hookeri plants for free to use for trial purposes.
The information provided by Shantha Ramanayake was
shared with Mr. Asanka Abeykoon of Dilmah
Conservation. The IC suggested that they communicate
directly and work out a possible form of cooperation
between themselves, since UNIDO does not intervene
directly in private sector deals.
Prof. Dr. Sandun Senarath
Head of the Dept. of Botany
University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Nugegoda, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Mobile: +94 (0) 7181 36014
Email: [email protected]
Meeting Date: Wednesday, 9 March 2016
The IC met her in a previous mission in 2014 and met her
again briefly during the bamboo workshop held at the
Galle Face Hotel.
She is responsible for bamboo tissue culture research at
the university, which was mainly propagating
Dendrocalamus asper.
She stated that the research of her Ph.D. student
(Priyantha Chandrasena) was complete and that they have
stopped the cultures of bamboo due to the lack of demand
and the limited space of their small lab, which is now
dedicated to the tissue culture of other plants.
Apart from requesting funds for the expansion of the lab
in the University from UNIDO, she also tried to get funds
from DILMAH Conservation, but did not succeed.
Mr. Michael Schraam
CEO
Bamboo Resources Development (Pvt)
Ltd.
65/3 Kirula Road
Colombo 5, Sri Lanka
(+94) 771 177 853
Meeting Date: 9 March 2016.
He expressed (in a very protracted and tedious manner)
disappointment with the slow progress of the UNIDO
project.
It appears that he expects the project to provide support
and finance for his company’s activities.
So far, his company has not cultivated any bamboo or
taken any action towards developing bamboo resources or
industry.
The IC told him that, as a private sector stakeholder, he
should not wait for international organizations or
government agencies to take the lead. Instead, since he
knows very well that bamboo takes at least 7-8 years to
mature, he should have already planted bamboo. The
worst-case scenario for his business is that the bamboo
will find a market as biomass.
7
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
Mr. Asanka Abayakoon
Manager
DILMAH Conservation
111 Negembo Road,
Peliyagoda, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 11 482 2000
Tel. (direct): + 94 11 482 2469
Mob. +94 77 730 7966
Fax. +94 11 482 2001
E-mail:
www.dilmahtea.com
www.mjffoundation.org
----
Mr. Sirimevan De Silva
Director – General Manager
TIMBER CONCEPTS (Pvt) Ltd.
Head Office: 111 Negombo Road
Wattala, Sri Lanka
Tel. +94 11 482 2000
Fax. +94 11 482 2001
E-mail; [email protected]
Factory: 474 Hendala Rd., Wattala
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Tel. +94 11 2937809
Fax. +94 11 2945321
Mob. +94 77 7390932
E-mail: [email protected]
Meeting Date: Friday 11 March 2016:
Mr. Asanka said that Dilmah is interested in bamboo for
several reasons. They want to diversify into other crops
for their plantations that are struggling with low market
prices of tea and rubber, and they consider bamboo a
possible option. Workers have been moving to urban
areas and there is an increasingly low supply of skilled
labor in plantations.
Dilmah Conservation has initiated a program of using
biochar --which is the name used for charcoal when it it
used as a soil amendment-- in their plantation lands with
nutrient depletion. Biochar can increase soil fertility,
increase agricultural productivity and provide protection
against some foliar and soil-born diseases.
Biochar is a stable solid, rich in carbon and can endure in
soil for thousands of years. Research is being conducted
to use it for carbon sequestration and thereby help
mitigate climate change by producing negative carbon
dioxide emissions.
Dilmah is currently importing 30 tons of charcoal per
month for use as biochar. They are also producing their
own biochar through the pyrolysis of low quality tea and
other biomass from their plantations. They plan to make
use of bamboo as a source of biomass for their own
biochar production, which will save them the cost of
procuring charcoal.
There is another important reason for Dilmah’s interest in
bamboo: Their subsidiary, Timber Concepts (Pvt) Ltd, is
already making industrial laminated bamboo products.
The factory of Timber Concepts in Colombo, which is
managed by Mr. Sirimevan De Siva, has a complete
production line of state of the art machinery including a
hot hydraulic press and laser cutters that are used for
making high quality wood boxes for export quality
products.
In the lamination process they are using E1 grade urea-
formaldehyde glue (manufactured by Dynea in Norway).
They need to make use of the highest quality materials to
conform with European standards.
The bamboo material that they are using is imported from
China. To be in conformity with EU standards, the wood
that is used must be harvested from certified
forests/plantations.
Currently there is no FSC certified bamboo plantation in
Sri Lanka. Dilmah wants to take the lead in growing
bamboo from certified forests, which will reduce their
costs of production.
Currently, each 2 meter long bamboo strip they import
from China costs USD 0.30. Producing their own bamboo
will allow them to produce 100% Sri Lankan products at
a fraction of the current cost of production.
8
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
Mr. Asanka Abayakoon of Dilmah is anxious to start
some pilot plantations as soon as possible. He says he can
start with 50 to 100 hectares for trial purposes.
According to him, some of their estates already have
large clumps of yellow bamboo. The bamboo is not
utilized. They require guidance on the species to plant.
The IC informed Mr. Asanka that:
o bamboo is available at the TC lab of MASL at
Kothmale
o Shanta Ramanayake is a local expert who was
instrumental in the successful implementation of the
MASL Riverine Bamboo project. She can provide
them with technical services so long as she is
renumerated.
The IC put Mr. Asanka and Shanta Ramanayake in touch
with each other so that they could negotiate directly
regarding a possible cooperation.
Mr. Asanka also made arrangement for the ICs V. Brias
and N. Schulz to visit Dilmah’s plantations in Ratnapura.
Mr. Lalith Obeyesekere
Director / CEO
Balangoda Plantations PLC
P.O. Box 06
Palmgarden, Ratnapura, Sri Lanka
Tel. 045-2222650
Fax. 045-2223598
E-mail1: [email protected]
Email2: [email protected]
&
Madulsima Plantations PLC
Hingurama Complex
Badulla, Sri Lanka
Tel & Fax: 055-2226292
Meeting Date: Monday, 14 march 2016
His company, Balangoda Plantations PLC, engages in the
cultivation, manufacture, and sale of tea and rubber in Sri
Lanka. The cultivated land consists of 5,400 hectors
under tea and 1900 hectors under rubber.
They have about 35 tea and rubber estates in the western
wet zone of Sri Lanka. The main areas are Kirkoswald,
Venture and Theresea.
Bamboo has been planted along the rivers, especially in
Bogontalawe for environmental purposes, controlling soil
erosion and stabilization of river banks. Based on his
description of the bamboo, the species used are likely to
be B. vulgaris ‘Vittata’ (yellow) and larger green species
(probably Dendrocalamus asper or D. giganteus).
They have +/- 20000 ha under a 54 year land lease. There
are no restrictions on land use but the GoSL is
increasingly putting pressure for crop diversification.
They are looking at bamboo as potential crop for
diversification but lack knowledge and information about
bamboo.
They need to do a cost benefit analysis to determine what
crop to plant, so Mr. Lalith Obeyesekere requested
financial information of the UNIDO bamboo plantation
pre-feasibility study.
One of their main concerns is the market for bamboo raw
material; the ideal situation for cultivating bamboo would
be a buy-back guarantee.
He was informed of UNIDO’s planned activity of setting
up a training center for processing bamboo products,
which aims at training-of-trainers, and eventually
stimulating growth in the industrial sector of bamboo
products.
He was also informed of the revolving fund of US$
9
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
600,000 for micro-financing bamboo cultivation and
industries, which is a positive development for cultivating
bamboo.
Mr. Mahen Madugalle
Director/CEO
Lankem Tea & Rubber Planattions
(Pvt) Ltd.
Managing Agent
Lankem Plantation House
53 1/1 Sir Baron Jayatilaka Mawatha,
Colombo 1, Sri Lanka
Tel. +94 11 5288265
Mob. 0777289810
Fax: 011 2381512
Meeting Date: Monday, 14 march 2016
The company has 6000 ha of Tea and Rubber estates in
the central highland region around Hatton and Kotagale,
2600 ha of which are dedicated to tea.
Bamboo has been planted for conservation purposes
using planting materials distributed by the agricultural
department.
The bamboo has never been harvested and utilized and
they do not know what to do with it. Nevertheless they
expressed interest in the potential of bamboo.
They are prepared to plant about 100 ha of bamboo, but
require more information on the cost of cultivation.
When given the information of bamboo plant cost from
2014 (Rs. 50), he was surprised that it was very high –
more than double the cost of tea plants.
The IC said we would facilitate more information
regarding the cost of cultivation of bamboo. The
information will be provided to and distributed by Mr.
Nawaz Rajabdeen, President of the Association of
Bamboo Growers and Industry.
LANKA ORGANICS
Mr. S. Muthusammy
Chairman
Greenfield Holdings (pvt) Ltd.
No. 23 Baybrooke Street
Colombo 2, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 11 2300159
Fax: +94 11 2336325
Mob. +94 71 4881719
Email:[email protected]
Web: www.fairtradeorganicteas.com
-----
Mr. Ranjit V. Perera
Director Plantations
Greenfield Holdings (pvt) Ltd.
No. 23 Baybrooke Street
Colombo 2, Sri Lanka
Tel. +94 11 2336326
Fax. +94 11 2336325
Mob. +971 6845031
Email: [email protected]
-----
Mr. Nihal Aluvihare
Director
Lanka Organics (Pvt) Ltd
Tel: +94 11 2300159
Fax + 94 11 2336325
Mob. +94 77 7259588
Meeting Date: Monday, 14 March 2016
The company has 8000 acres (3237 ha) in Sri Lanka and
applies an outgrower scheme focusing on organic
products with 5000 outgrowers.
They have 300 acres (121 ha) of timber
Their products have organic certification carried out by
the certifying bodies NASAA (Australia) and Control
Union (Netherlands). The farms and plantations
maintained without the use of pesticides and artificial
fertiliser. Their products utilize natural fertilisers such as
green manure, compost, cattle dung and vermiculture.
They have some bamboo in their lands in Kothmale,
Aputale, Habupale and Kotagala. During the
implementation of the MASL Riverine Bamboo Project 2
bamboo plants were given to each of the farmers of their
outgrower program; the bamboos were planted for
environmental purposes, and are not harvested or utilized.
Their forest areas are mainly planted with Eucalyptus.
They are interested in bamboo for diversification but do
not yet know the economic value of bamboo. They would
need to compare and evaluate bamboo to other woody
species, especially Eucalyptus.
10
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.lankaorganics.com
Priyantha H. Chandrasena
Ph.D. Candidate at University of Sri
Jayewardenepura
Mobile: +94 (0) 714 472 096
Email: [email protected]
Telephone contact on Tuesday, 15 March 2016
He is the tissue culture expert who has successfully
developed tissue culture protocols for Dendrocalamus
asper.
Initial contact was made with him during the IC’s mission
to Sri Lanka in 2014.
Follow up communication was done during 2015; the IC
provided Priyantha with bibliographical sources for his
Ph.D. research.
Priyantha has submitted his Ph.D. dissertation and is due
to defend it in April 2016.
He has a new job and is very busy, but he is looking for
new opportunities to continue his work on bamboo.
He confirmed that UNIDO and/or the Association of
Bamboo Growers and Industry may disseminate his
contact information and work on bamboo to companies
looking for a bamboo TC expert.
The IC requested Priyantha to provide a copy of his Ph.D.
Dissertation. Priyantha confirmed that he would send a
soft copy after his doctoral defense.
Mr. H.M. Buddika Hemashantha
Chief Executive Officer
Sri Lanka Climate Fund
Ministry of Mahaweli Development &
Environment
No. 980/A4, Wickramasinghe plc.
Ethulkotte, Sri Lanka
Tel. Direct +94 11 2078210
Tel & Fax: +94 11 2053065
Mob. +94 77 0320110
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.carbonfund.lk
Meeting Date: Tuesday, 15 March 2016
The meeting was arranged by the NPC. The purpose of
the meeting was to inquire about the procedure and cost
for obtaining FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council)
certification for bamboo plantations.
During the meeting we learned that Sri Lanka Climate
Fund is not a certification agency for the FSC.
However, they are looking into the possibility of
becoming an accredited certification agency.
Mr. Buddika provided information regarding
Accreditation Services International (ASI), which is one
of the world’s leading accreditation bodies for
sustainability standards systems.
ASI assesses organizations that issue certificates for a
range of standards (including forestry plantations),
ensuring that audits are conducted with competence and
global consistency. As the sole accreditation body for
environmental standards systems such as the Forest
Stewardship Council. ASI oversees the correct
application of a standard’s criteria for certified
operations worldwide.
He explained that his office —Sri Lanka Climate
Fund—is fundamentally engaged in achieving Sri
Lanka’s environmental targets in accordance with the
country’s commitments in UNFCCC Paris agreement of
2015. The country aims to reduce GHG emissions and
mitigate climate change through various strategies
including increasing forest cover. In particular, he
11
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
mentioned that Sri Lanka aims to increase its forest
cover (currently 29.6%) to 32% and indicated that
certified bamboo plantations can play a roll in this
regard.
Mr. Buddika will look into the various options for
certifying plantations and will keep the UNIDO project
informed (by contacting the NPC).
Mr. A.P. Piyathissa
Project Manager
Wanasarana Thurulatha Swechcha
Society (WTSS) - (Voluntary Tree
Planting Society)
Matara, Sri Lanka
Tel. 071 621 6642
Meeting Date: Wednesday, 16 March 2016
WTSS is a Voluntary Tree Planting Association that
currently has 60 members
They have large yellow bamboo (B. vulgaris ‘Vittata’)
planted in their community land along the banks of
Nilwala River in Matara (Southern Province).
Bamboo plants were supplied by the forestry department
about 25 years ago.
The extent of the bamboo is 2.5 km along each side of the
river bank (total 5 km length). One row of bamboo is
planted on the river banks with a spacing ranging from 5
to 10 meters. The estimated number of clumps is
therefore between 500 to 1000. (They do not have a clear
inventory of their bamboo resources.
Mr. Piyathissa has travelled to the Philippines, Malaysia,
and Thailand and has been exposed to bamboo utilization
in those countries.
Currently the bamboo that is harvested is sold for
scaffolding at a farmgate price of Rs 60 per culm.
Before bamboo is sold and transported they need to
obtain a permit (which costs Rs. 25). The procedure for
getting the permit involves approval from: (1) Village and
community leaders; (2) Divisional Secretary; and finally
(3) The Forestry Officer. The process is straightforward
and permits are easily obtained so long as there is an
agreement by all parties. The buyer of the bamboo needs
a copy of the permit in order to transport the bamboo
culms.
WTSS read about the UNIDO project in the local press
and they want to get involved in order to generate greater
value from their bamboo.
The IC informed Mr. Piyathissa about the plan to
establish a training center for industrial bamboo products;
also he was informed about the revolving fund that would
provide soft loans for bamboo growers and industries.
Information about bamboo planting materials from
MASL Lab was also provided and advise was given
about planting other bamboo species that is currently
available, such as Dendrocalamus hookerii.
In order to get updated about project activities, he was
advised by the IC to stay in touch with Mr. Nawaz
Rajabdeen of UNIDO Focal Point, who is also the
President of the Association of Bamboo Growers and
Industry of Sri Lanka.
12
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
Mr Suresh Nawaratne
General Manger
Elkaduwa Plantations PLC
320 T.D. Jayan MW
Colombo 10, Sri Lanka
Tel 077 32 79639
Meeting Date: Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Elkaduwa Plantations is a fully Government owned
Regional Plantations Company (RPC) which is moving
towards privatization. The RPC is managed by the
Treasury of the GoSL.
This move towards privatization is a current trend among
RPCs in Sri Lanka that are not competitive, especially
because of the high cultivation costs of tea and rubber,
and low market prices.
Mr. Nawaratne was eager to meet with UNIDO hoping to
obtain capital or even to sell land.
The RPC has 4500 hectares of tea and rubber, as well as
coconut and spices. They are open to diversifying their
production to bamboo.
However, if they plant bamboo they want a buy back
guarantee for the bamboo raw material since they do not
have knowledge about the market of bamboo.
The IC mentioned that: bamboo is useful for timber and
as an energy crop, both of which are valuable resources
with a growing market. Some innovative local companies
see a clear opportunity for making products and
generating income from bamboo. UNIDO, in cooperation
with HNB will make a revolving fund available for
microfinance for bamboo plantations and industries. He
should staty in touch with the Association of Bamboo
Growers and Industries to obtain more information about
bamboo and the possibilities of microfinancing.
Dr. Neville Fernando
President & Chairman
South Asian Institute of Technology
and Medicine (SAITM)
P.O. Box 11
Millenium Drive
IT Park, Malabe Sri Lanka
Tel. +(94) 11 2413331
Fax. +(94) 11 241 332
-----
Prof. S.L. Ranamukhaarachchi
Professor & Senior Academic Advisor
Department of Environmental and
Biosystems Engineering
South Asian Institute of Technology
and Medicine (SAITM)
Mobile: +94 – 777801709
E-mail:
-----
Dr. Sisuru Sendanayake
Dean, Faculty of Engineering
South Asian Institute of Technology
Meeting on Wednesday 16 March 2016 (arranged by Mr.
Nawaz Rajabdeen).
Dr. Fernando is interested in doing tissue culture of
bamboo as a business. But more specifically he is
interested in propagating bamboo in the TC lab that is
being established at SAITM.
The TC lab is mainly for students following a degree in
Bioscience engineering.
Currently, only a small space has been allocated for a
small TC lab with a small acclimatization chamber for
research purposes. The research lab will have one laminar
flow, which is the minimum requirement for research.
Dr. Fernando said that he can allocate a separate building
for a larger (commercial) laboratory.
TC is very new at SAITM. Dr. Sisuru Sendanayake, who
with take charge of the TC activities, said he has
experience in micropropagating potatoes and other
vegetables.
He knows that micropropagating woody plants is more
challenging but he is confident that he can propagate
bamboo.
The IC informed him that there are experts in Sri Lanka
13
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
and Medicine (SAITM)
E-mail: [email protected]
who have successfully propagated bamboo.
The IC sent the contact details of Dr. Fernando and other
SAITM staff the contact details of Prof. Shantha
Ramanayake and Priyantha H. Chandrasena via email.
Dr. Fernando replied via email on 24 March confirming
that he would contact Shantha Ramanayake and hire her
as a consultant for his tissue culture project.
Mr. Lakkana Perera
Kahawatte Plantations PLC
(DILMAH)
Estate Manager
Houpe Estate, Ratnapura
Sri Lanka
Tel 077264961
E-mail: [email protected]
----
Mr. A.K.D.I. Rukmal
Kahawatte Plantations PLC
(DILMAH)
Estate Manager
Ekkerella Estate
Ratnapura Sri Lanka
Mobile: +94 77 0523014
E-mail [email protected]
Field Trip / Meeting Date: Thursday, 17 March 2016
Mr. Asanka Abayakoon, Manager of DILMAH
Conservation, facilitated the arrangements for the field
trip.
NPC Anusha Lalani Ediweera accompanied ICs V. Brias
and N. Schulz on the field trip.
The purpose of the field trip to Kahawatte Plantations
PLC (DILMAH) at Ratnapura was:
o To inspect and assess the area allocated for
planting bamboo at Houpe Estate
o To visit the tea plantations at Endane Estate
where biochar is used as a soil amendment
Mr. Lakkana Perera, Manager of Houpe Estate, guided us
through the plantation lands and pointed out areas for
possible bamboo plantation.
Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’ is already present which is a
positive sign.
Land that has been identified for planting is prone to
slight flooding as evidenced by the presence of water
puddles. The land has a slight slope; flow of excess
rainwater can be directed by digging trenches between
planting rows; this will prevent the formation of water
puddles.
Bamboo culms on the site have been cut, probably with a
machete, just below breast height – which probably the
most comfortable position to cut, but not a good practice
for increased productivity.
The IC told Mr. Lakkana and his assistants that the
correct way to harvest is to cut just above the first node
(close to the ground). The use of a good quality pruning
saw makes the job of cutting much easier, and also
ensures a clean cut.
Apart from the method of cutting, the IC made several
recommendations to Mr. Lakkana.
o Bambusa vulgaris is a species that is easy to
propagate by means of culm and branch cuttings.
o Cuttings can be directly planted on the ground
during the rainy seasons have a very strong
chance of generating into clumps.
o Bambusa vulgaris is not the best species for
industrial applications, but it can serve very well
for making biochar.
14
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
o The best time for harvesting the bamboo culms is
during the driest months of the year, never during
the rainy season.
o Currently all the clumps of B. vulgaris are
unmanaged. Grass around the clumps should be
cleared and the soil should be loosed. All the
dead /dried culms in the clumps should be
removed. Stubs of cut culms should be cut down
to the ground level. When the clumps are
properly cleaned, adding compost or organic
fertilizer around the clump will help the clump
regenerate and develop new shoots.
From Houpe Estate we travelled on to Endane Estate to
see the tea plantations with biochar.
o The appearance of the tea plants at Endane Estate
showed a much brighter green color than those at
Houpe estate. Also the foliage was seemed to be
suppler. Mr. Lakkana Perera and his associates all
confirmed the higher quality of the plants at
Endane Estate, and confirmed that this quality
change happened after the addition of the
biochar.
o 400 grams of biochar is applied per tea plant. The
application requires digging a temporary furrow
between the plant rows and applying the biochar
at the depth of the roots. After application the
furrow is then leveled.
o To see how the biochar affects growth, soil was
dug out around the tea plants and we observed
that the roots stretched outward toward the
biochar, which is a sign that roots move towards
the nutrients.
o One application of biochar costs approximately
USD 1000 per ha. The application is done every
5 to 8 years, depending on the effective life of the
biochar. The cost of biochar therefore ranges
between USD 125–200 per year.
o According to the Estate managers, the biochar
results in a very noticeable quality improvement
in tea and also to an increase of yield of 15% to
25%. Application of biochar also implies
reductions in up to 50% of fertilizer applications,
which makes it very cost effective and
economically beneficial for the plantation.
Mr. Parhirana
Farm Manager
Govt. Seed Production Farm
Department of Agriculture, Walpita
Gampaha, Sri Lanka
Mobile: 0718271070
Email: [email protected]
Field Trip / Meeting Date: Friday, 18 March 2016
Walpita Farm at Gampaha is the location of the edible
bamboo shoots project of CFC/INBAR.
The project was implemented from 2006 to 2011.
3 species of bamboo were introduced to Sri Lanka and
planted at the farm: Dendrocalamus latiflorus, Bambusa
15
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
oldhamii, and Melocanna baccifera.
Edible bamboo shoots were harvested for the first time at
Walpita Farm during the rainy months of October and
November 2009, after two years of cultivation.
Workers at the farm were trained on the harvesting of
bamboo shoots.
Machinery for a pilot plant for processing and canning
edible bamboo was installed at the Industrial Technology
Institute (ITI), Ministry of Science Technology and
Research of Sri Lanka.
Since the completion of the CFC/INBAR Project, Walpita
farm has maintained a small nursery of bamboo plants.
Propagation of D. latiflorus is done by means of branch
cuttings. Propagation of M. baccifera is done by rhizome
offsets, which is an easy method given that the species
has long rhizome necks.
Mr. Parhirana says that the survival rate of propagules at
the nursery is at least 80% -- even close to 100%.
The demand for bamboo is not high, although on the day
of the IC’s visit, one customer bought 120 plants that
were going to be planted as a green screen around a
factory in Colombo.
The selling price per plant of D. latiflorus is Rs 150 /
plant.
Mr. Parhirana says he can produce about 500 plants per
month.
His production is very much limited by the market as well
as by the resources that are available in this GoSL owned
farm.
Propagation requires polybags and substrate mixture
composed of 1 part sand, 1 part coconut fiber, and 1 part
soil.
In order to scale up production he would need advance
payments from buyers.
Indika Sellahewa
Chairperson – Organizing Committee
International SME Industrial
Machinery Exhibition 2017
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR
SMALL AND MEDIUM
ENTERPRISES (ISSME)
Mob. +94 77 3088480
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.issme.org
Meeting on 19 March 2016
This was an unplanned meeting; Mr. Rajabdeen was
meeting with her at the Colombo swimming cub and
asked the IC to join.
She is interested in bamboo constructions (cottages,
pergolas, pavilions, etc.) for tourism.
The IC explained that this required large bamboo with
straight culms like D. asper. The culms are subjected to
borax preservation treatment to ensure the durability of
the bamboo material and prevent attack from borer
beetles and termites.
The IC also mentioned that Joerg Stamm, UNIDO
consultant, was an expert in building such structures.
The main requirement at present is that plantations of
large bamboo are needed (or that permits are obtained for
harvesting from lands of the Mahaweli river banks).
16
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
Then the harvested poles need to be preserved and used
for construction.
Apart from her interest in bamboo, Mrs. Indika Sellahewa
seems to be a very professional and charismatic person
who works for a strong organization that supports SMEs.
It is advisable to try to involve her in future activities of
the Association of Bamboo Growers and Industries.
Dr. Jaanaki Gooneratne
Country Manager
Food Ingredients Division
DPO LANKA (Pvt.) Ltd
No. 2, 2/1 Chandra Silva Mawatha
Nawala-Pagoda Cross Road
Pagodam Nugegodo , Sri Lanka
Cel +94 779 511 574
Tel +94 112 819 590
Fax +94 112 819 591
Email: [email protected]
Meeting on 19 March 2016
She was previously working for the Industrial
Technology Institute (ITI), Ministry of Science
Technology and Research of Sri Lanka.
She has retired from the public sector and now works in
the private sector food industry.
When she was at ITI, she was one of the key scientists
involved in the implementation of the edible bamboo
shoots project at Walpita Farm in Gampaha.
She confirmed the success of that project, which mainly
makes use of Dendrocalamus latiflorus for edible bamboo
shoots.
There is an ongoing production at Beverley Estate in
Deniyaya, Sinharaja in the southwest of Sri Lanka.
The bamboo shoots harvested are sold directly to hotels
and Chinese restaurants. The price of raw shoots (with
sheaths) is about Rs 750 (US$ 5) . Cleaned bamboo
shoots are sold for about Rs 1500 per kilo (approx.
US$ 10/kg). The returns for the bamboo are very good,
but volumes are low since this is a very small niche
market; bamboo shoots are not a popular food item in Sri
Lanka.
In her present job, Dr. Jaanaki continues to do research on
bamboo shoots as a nutrient and potential power food. In
particular she says she has developed a non-alcoholic
“energy drink” made from fermented bamboo shoots; the
drink is sweetened with sugar. She says that she has
received very positive feedback about the drink from her
contacts in China, and she believes that she potentially
has a very good product that needs to be produced and
marketed.
Mrs. Sharmini Wickremasekera
Chief Risk Officer
LOLC Group
Lanka ORIX Leasing Company PLC
No. 447/3 Cotta Road
Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka
Tel +94 11 5880100
Tel Direct. +94 11 5880227
Fax +94 11 2865606 +94 11 5880110
Mobile: +94 77 7 598781
Email [email protected]
Website: www.lolc.com
Meeting on 19 March 2016
LOLC (Lanka ORIX Leasing Company) PLC. is one of
the largest, most diversified and profitable corporations in
Sri Lanka. With gross profits of Rs. 44.5 Billion (US$297
Million) in the financial year 2014-15, the company is
active in numerous sectors including:
o Financial services (and microfinance)
o Agriculture (Maturata plantations, Pussellawa
Plantations, & Gal Oya Plantations)
o Leisure (hotels and resorts)
o Renewable Energy (mainly mini hydro power)
17
CONTACTS MEETING NOTES
-----
Danesh Abeyrathne
Chief Operating Officer
Gal Oya Plantations (Pvt) Ltd,
Sri Jayawardenapura Mawatha,
Rajagiriya,
Sri Lanka
Tel. +94-63 5672881
Fax:- +94-63 2240199
Mobile:- +94-76-8238144
E-mail:- [email protected]
o Construction
o Manufacturing and trading
o Overseas expansion (they own 22.5% of
PRASAC Micro-Finance – the largest micro-
finance institution in Cambodia)
o Other strategic investments in Banking (33%
share ownership of Seylan Bank PLC) and
Hospital (owner of Browns Hospital – 70 bed
multi specialty hospital with cutting edge
technology.)
Maturata plantations and Pussellawa Plantations consist
of 43 individual estates that stretch across an area of over
23,000 hectares in Kandy District in the Central Province
of Sri Lanka. These estates produce over 12.5 M kilos of
tea and employ a workforce of over 21,000 persons
including executives, staff and workers.
Maturata is also home of Beverley Estate (388 ha in
Deniyaya) which mainly produces western medium
grown tea but which also has clumps of Dendrocalamus
latiflorus that are harvested for edible bamboo shoots.
Gal Oya Plantations (Pvt) Ltd is consists of 7,600 ha of
plantation land with approximately 5,200 ha of
cultivatable extent allotted amongst 4,400 families. The
remaining 2400 ha is used for factory buildings, housing
complexes, high lands reservations, field roads and
drainages. The project area is divided into 5 major zones
in Ampara (eastern Province) namely Varipathanchena,
Galmuduwa, Deegawapi, Hingurana, and Neetha.
Gal Oya is one of the main producers of sugar in Sri
Lanka. Sugar cultivation has been expanding by over 600
ha per year over the last two years.
The company is also investing Rs 2.5 Billion (USD 16.7
Million) in a modern plant for power generation. They are
currently expanding their power generation capacity up to
10 MW, which they expect to complete by the end of
2017.
The company has also branched out into ethanol for
energy production. They have invested Rs 800 million
(USD 5.3 million) to establish a distillery plant in
Colombo with the capacity of 21.5 KLPD (Kilo Liters Per
Day).
Like most companies involved in estate agriculture,
LOLC wants to diversify into other products and consider
bamboo an option.
They learned about the UNIDO’s bamboo initiative
through the local newspaper articles.
They are keen to learn more about the possibilities of
cultivating and processing bamboo.
The IC informed them that he is in the process of
preparing some documents (Pre-Feasibility Study and
Bamboo Growing Guide) that will be distributed to them
by the Association of Bamboo Growers and Industries.
18
IV. Bamboo Workshop at Galle Face Hotel on 9 March 2016
The IC prepared a PowerPoint presentation entitled “Technical Aspects and Business Prospects of
Commercial Bamboo Plantations in Sri Lanka”. A soft copy of the ppt file was sent by Email to UNIDO
HQ and to the UNIDO Focal Point Office in Colombo on March 1, 2016. A copy in PDF format is
included as an annex to this report.
The presentation covered information collected from previous missions and summarized the main results
of the prefeasibility study for a 100 ha bamboo plantation with intercropping that was prepared in 2014.
The presentation was divided into seven sections:
1. Bamboo in Sri Lanka
2. Bamboo Utilization, Industrialization, Value-Chain & Resource Needs
3. Key Issues of Forests & Plantations
4. Bamboo propagation & Planting Material for Plantations
5. Bamboo Plantation and Management
6. 100 Ha Bamboo Plantation Pre-Feasibility Study - Assumptions and Projected Results
7. Conclusions
The presentation was made on the 9th of March at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo. The entire content is
not going to be re-explained in this report; only two items from the presentation that are quite important
are mentioned below.
1) Radical Change in Bamboo Resource Base of Sri Lanka
The last bamboo survey in Sri Lanka was done 25 years ago in 1991. In that survey it was revealed that
bamboo naturally occurs as understory growth in state forests, and mainly in the South Western wet zone
of the country. The total area of bamboo cover in 1991 was 2.16 thousand hectares, and the vast majority
of the bamboos are small species (locally known as bata) that are used for handicraft making.
In 2007, the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (MASL) initiated the Riverine Bamboo Project which
involved the tissue culture propagation and planting of large bamboo species such as Dendrocalamus
giganteus, D. hookerii, and D. asper. MASL distributed about 1 million bamboo plants for cultivation
along the banks of the Mahaweli River and its tributaries. It is estimated that 2500 ha of large bamboo
species have been planted since 2012.
This implies that over a period of 20 years, there has been a radical increase in bamboo resources as well
as a radical change in the profile of bamboo in Sri Lanka. Previously the bamboos were small; now the
predominant species in the country are large bamboos that have a strong potential for industrial use.
2) Impact of Intercropping on the financial results of a bamboo plantation
This point takes off from the pre-feasibility study for a 100 ha plantation that was prepared in 2014. The
pre-FS does not show what difference there would be in the results if there were no intercroppin . So for
the purpose of the presentation, calculations were made to show the financial results of the bamboo
plantation with and without intercropping.
This is summarized in the table below.
19
100 HA PLANTATION
Bamboo with
intercropping Bamboo w/o intercropping
TOTAL EQUITY
CAPITAL
16.4 M LKR
(126 K USD)
17.95 M LKR
(138 K USD)
NET PRESENT VALUE
(15%)
LKR 23.8 Million
(USD 182,876)
LKR 16.6 Million
(USD 127.6 K)
INTERNAL RATE OF
RETURN 40.46% 27.23%
NORMAL PAYBACK 6.82 years = 7 7.57 years = 8
DYNAMIC PAYBACK 7.44 years = 8 9.10 years = 10
3) Feedback on the Presentation
The workshop program was changed from a full-day event to a half-day event. All presentations were
given in the morning and there was no open forum or extended time for networking. Most networking and
feedback was given shortly after the presentation and during lunch. The feedback received was positive
and this led to several follow up meetings in the days after the workshop.
20
V. Field Trip to Kahawatte Plantations PLC (DILMAH) at Ratnapura
Field Trip / Meeting Date: Thursday , 17 March 2016
ICs V. Brias and N. Schulz travelled to Ratnapura to visit Kahawatte Plantations PLC (of DILMAH). Mr.
Asanka Abayakoon, Manager of DILMAH Conservation expressed interest in doing a bamboo pilot
plantation of 50 to 100 ha and he arranged the visit. The ICs were accompanied by NPC Anusha Lalani
Ediweera on the field trip.
The purpose of the field trip was (1) to inspect and assess the area allocated for planting bamboo at Houpe
Estate and (2) to visit the tea plantations at Endane Estate where biochar is used as a soil amendment.
Entrance to Houpe Estate Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’ at Houpe Estate
Mr. Lakkana Perera, Manager of Houpe Estate, guided us through the plantation lands and pointed out
areas for possible bamboo plantation. Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’ is already present which is a positive
sign.
Land that has been identified for planting is prone to slight flooding as evidenced by the presence of water
puddles. The land has a slight slope; flow of excess rain water can be directed by digging trenches
between planting rows; this will prevent the formation of water puddles. Bamboo culms on the site have
been cut, probably using a machete, just below breast height – which is probably the most comfortable
position for the cutter, but not a good practice for increasing productivity.
21
Plots Selected for Planting Bamboo at Houpe Estate, Ratnapura
The IC told Mr. Lakkana and his assistants that the correct way to harvest is to cut just above the first
node (close to the ground). The use of a good quality pruning saw makes the job of cutting much easier,
and also ensures a clean cut. Apart from the method of cutting, the IC made several recommendations to
Mr. Lakkana:
Bambusa vulgaris is a species that is easy to propagate by means of culm and branch cuttings.
Cuttings can be directly planted on the ground during the rainy seasons have a very strong chance of
generating into clumps.
Bambusa vulgaris is not the best species for industrial applications, but it can serve very well for
making biochar.
The best time for harvesting the bamboo culms is during the driest months of the year, never during
the rainy season.
Currently all the clumps of B. vulgaris are unmanaged. Grass around the clumps should be cleared
and the soil should be loosed. All the dead /dried culms in the clumps should be removed. Stubs of
cut culms should be cut down to the ground level. When the clumps are properly cleaned, adding
compost or organic fertilizer around the clump will help the clump regenerate and develop new
shoots.
From Houpe Estate we travelled on to Endane Estate to see the tea plantations with biochar.
Entrance to Endane Estate Tea Plantation at Endane Estate
22
The appearance of the tea plants at Endane Estate showed a much brighter green color than those at
Houpe estate. The foliage also seemed to be more supple. Mr. Lakkana Perera and his associates all
confirmed the higher quality of the plants at Endane Estate, and confirmed that this quality change
happened after the addition of the biochar.
Biochar deposit on under the soil at root level Roots of have stretched out toward the biochar
According to Mr. Lakkana Perera, 400 grams of biochar is applied per tea plant. The application requires
digging a furrow between the plant rows and applying the biochar at the depth of the roots. After
application the furrow is then leveled. To see how the biochar affects growth, soil was dug out around the
tea plants and we observed that the roots stretched outward toward the biochar, which is a sign that roots
move towards the nutrients. One application of biochar cost approximately USD 1000 per ha. The
application is done every 5 to 8 years, depending on the effective life of the biochar. The cost of biochar
therefore ranges between USD 125–200 per year.
According to the Estate managers, the biochar results in a very noticeable quality improvement in tea and
also to an increase of yield of 15% to 25%. Application of biochar also implies reductions in up to 50% of
fertilizer applications, which makes it very cost effective and economically beneficial for the plantation.
23
VI. Field Trip to Walpita Farm in Gampaha
Field Trip / Meeting Date: Friday, 18 March 2016
ICs V. Brias and N. Schulz travelled to Walpita, Gampaha to visit the Seed Production Farm of the
Department of Agriculture. The meeting was arranged by IC Niels Schulz, who had visited the farm in a
previous mission. The ICs were met by the farm manager, Mr. Parhirana.
Walpita Farm at Gampaha is the location of the edible bamboo shoots project of CFC/INBAR. The
project was implemented from 2006 to 2011. Three bamboo species were introduced to Sri Lanka and
planted at the farm, namely: Dendrocalamus latiflorus, Bambusa oldhamii, and Melocanna baccifera.
Edible bamboo shoots were harvested for the first time at Walpita Farm during the rainy months of
October and November 2009, after two years of cultivation. Workers at the farm were trained on the
harvesting of bamboo shoots.
Machinery for a pilot plant for processing and canning edible bamboo was installed at the Industrial
Technology Institute (ITI), Ministry of Science Technology and Research of Sri Lanka. Since the
completion of the CFC/INBAR Project, Walpita farm has maintained a small nursery of bamboo plants.
The nursery is very simple and modest: low cost but very functional.
Entrance to Walpita Farm Simple Potting Area with Shade Cloth
Propagation of D. latiflorus is done by means of branch cuttings. Propagation of M. baccifera is done by
rhizome offsets, which is an easy method given that the species has long rhizome necks. Mr. Parhirana
says that the survival rate of propagules at the nursery is at least 80% -- even close to 100%.
The demand for bamboo is not high, although on the day of the IC’s visit, one customer bought 120 plants
that were going to be planted as a green screen around a factory in Colombo.
The selling price per plant of D. latiflorus is Rs 150 / plant. Mr. Parhirana says he can produce about 500
plants per month; production is greatly limited by the market as well as by the resources that are available
24
in this GoSL owned farm. Propagation requires polybags and substrate mixture composed of 1 part sand,
1 part coconut fiber, and 1 part soil. In order to scale up production Mr. Parhirana would need advance
payments from buyers.
Shade Area at Walpita Farm Farm Workers Potting Branch Cuttings
Batch of potted D. latiforus cuttings The plants are well rooted and growing nicely
Overall the plants in the nursery are growing well. However, signs of leaf damage probably caused by
mites were noticed. The damage will not be fatal to the plants but manily diminishes their aesthetic
qualities. Attack by mites is not uncommon in nurseries. There are numerous methods of biological
control, as well as chemical controls (foliar pesticide / miticide sprays). However, given the basic type of
nursery that Walpita farm is--where plants are out in the open, and not in a controlled (greenhouse)
environment, the cost of spraying may outweigh the benefits. The leaf damage noticed in the nursery
was not present in the larger plants in the plantation.
25
Plantation of D. latiflorus
Considering that the bamboos were planted in 2007 and are now 9 years old, one would expect the culms
to have reached their full height and girth.
Most of the clumps of D. latiflorus in the plantation near the nursery area are however disappointingly
small; it appears that the ground in the area is compacted, which hinders good growth of new shoots.
Also, the ground is very stony, which is also a poor condition for growing.
A rapid assessment made it evident that the land was not properly prepared (plowed and rotovated) prior
to planting; also it seems that planting holes were not large enough.
On the area of the farm close to the stream, clumps of D. latiflorus manifested their normal size with
culms reaching 20 meters in height and diameter of 11 cm with culm walls of 3 cm at the base. These
“normal” specimens indicate that the species is true-to-type, manifesting the regular morphological traits
of D. latiflorus as it is found in Taiwan and throughout areas of Southeast Asia where it is widely
cultivated.
26
Clump of D. latiflorus with large culms (growing near the stream) at Walpita Farm
Culm wall thickness of D. latiflorus: +/- 3 cm near the base; +/- 2 cm at breat height
Melocanna baccifera (a.k.a. ‘Muli’) grows profusely in Walpita Farm, but culms are rather narrow.
According to Mr. Parhirana, the provenance of the plants is from tissue culture from Bangladesh, which
seems quite strange given that the gregarious flowering of the species in 2007-2008 in the Chittagong Hill
Tracts of Bangladesh (as well as throughout Northeast India) made Muli fruits very abundant. In any case,
the plants are relatively small compared to Muli planted by the IC in other parts of Southeast Asia. The
somewhat stunted growth could be attributed to the compact and stony ground of the farm.
27
Plantation of M. baccifera
Muli culms at Walpita Farm: Diameter ranges from 2.5 – 5 cm, culms relatively thick considering the
small diameter. Muli culms are known to grow larger, with a diameter of 5-9 mm.
Clumps of Bambusa oldhamii at Walpita farm are flowering. According to Dr. Niels Schulz, he observed
this flowering already back in 2014. It seems that the flowering is sporadic. There are many theories
regarding the flowering of bamboo; one of them is that bamboo flowers when the plants are under stress.
This seems to be plausible in the case of B. oldhamii, which is a species that thrives in subtropical zones,
and tends to struggle under extreme tropical conditions.
Bambusa oldhamii flowering at Walpita Farm
28
Overall, the main conclusion from the field trip is that Walpita farm is a viable supplier of planting
material for plantations, especially of D. latiflorus, which is an excellent species for industrial
applications. Walpita farm can also supply Muli bamboo to customers who are seeking bamboo mainly
for biomass or handicrafts. Muli forms large clumps that make harvesting easy. Also for environmental
applications like erosion control, Muli is an excellent choice. Although the current capacity of Walpita
farm for supplying bamboo plants is limited, that can change with increased demand. It would be ideal if
germplasm of D. latiflorus is introduced into the MASL lab at Kothmale so that this species can also mass
propagated by means of tissue culture. This can be achieved relatively easily given the willingness of
MASL.
29
VII. Proposed Species for Bamboo Plantations in Sri Lanka
The selection of species has to take into consideration the two main factors, namely: (1) the species that
are known to grow well in Sri Lanka and (2) the planting material that is already available or potentially
available from local suppliers in the short to medium term. The species that have shown good growth
performance in the wet zone of Sri Lanka and which are potentially available as planting materials are
listed in the following table:
SPECIES HT
(m)
DIA.
(cm) FEATURES KNOWN USES COMMENT
Bambusa vulgaris 15-20 4-10 Culms not
straight, thin
walls. Establishes
easily;
multipurpose
species.
Temporary
construction,
fences, pulp and
paper, hedges,
charcoal
Endemic throughout
the wet zone. Can be
propagated by
branch and/or culm
cuttings.
Dendrocalamus
asper
15-20 12-20 Culm walls: 2cm,
strong durable
culms
Edible shoots,
construction
material, industrial
applications,
charcoal
Propagated by TC by
MASL and planted
along the Mahaweli
River. Pre-order
needed. Lead time
18 months.
D. giganteus 20-30 20-30 Culm wall : 2cm Panels and boards,
furniture,
construction,
charcoal
Propagated by TC by
MASL and planted
along the Mahaweli
River. Pre-order
needed. Lead time
18 months.
D. hookeri 15-20 10-15 Thick walls Panels & boards ,
construction,
charcoal
Propagated by TC by
MASL and planted
along the Mahaweli
River. 20,000 plants
in stock as of March
2016.
D. latiflorus 15-20 10-15 Straight culms Edible shoots,
panels & boards,
handicrafts,
charcoal
Propagated by
branch cuttings with
good results at
Walpita Farm in
Gampaha. Limited
quantities available;
500 per month.
Melocanna
baccifera
10-20 5 - 9 Erect culms, thin
walls, long-neck
rhizomes –
spreading habit
Edible shoots,
handicrafts,
charcoal,
Erosion control
Propagated by
rhizome offsets with
good results at
Walpita Farm in
Gampaha
30
In order to ensure that planting material can be provided on a regular basis for plantations it is advisable
define planting material requirements with the main producers and make agreements such that the supply
of planting material is secured.
The TC lab and nursery of MASL is currently the only supplier that can provide large amounts of plants
in the relative short term. As of March 2016 they have a standing stock of 20 thousand D. hookeri plants.
They are able to propagate D. asper and D. giganteus on special order. The price per plant is Rs. 60 per
plant. Discounts for large orders are possible but need to be negotiated.
The contact details of MASL are:
Mr. Anura Dissanayake, Director General, MASL Tel. 011 268738, 011 268953
Mr. Attanayake, Director of MASL Kothmale lab. Tel. 081 2350206
The Department of Agriculture has a seed production farm in Gampaha known as Walpita farm. The farm
specializes in 3 species of bamboo were introduced to Sri Lanka namely: Dendrocalamus latiflorus,
Bambusa oldhamii, and Melocanna baccifera. Bambusa oldhamii has been flowering in the farm since
2014 so propagation is limited to D. latiflorus, and M. baccifera.
Propagation is done by traditional vegetative methods:
branch cuttings for D. latiflorus
rhizome offsets for M. baccifera
Production at the farm (which also propagates numerous other vegetables and spices) is quite limited.
About 500 plants are produced per month. The low production is due to limited demand. Given large
orders, production can be scaled up.
The person in charge of the farm is Mr. Parhirana. His contact details are:
Mr. Parhirana
Farm Manager
Govt. Seed Production Farm
Department of Agriculture, Walpita
Gampaha, Sri Lanka
Mobile: 0718271070
Email: [email protected]
The source of the botanical descriptions of the selected species below is: Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T.
and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
http://www.kew.org/data/grasses-db.html [accessed 04 April 2016; 12:25 GMT].
Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’
HABIT: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms geniculately ascending; 1500–2000
cm long; 40–100 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; thin-walled. Lateral
31
branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement three, or several; in a clump; with 1 branch
dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; hispid; with dark brown hairs; auriculate; ciliate
on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 5–8 mm high. Culm-sheath blade ovate; 5–15 cm long; pubescent;
acute. Leaves 8–9 per branch. Leaf-sheaths pubescent. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles
falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded; with a
brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–30 cm long; 18–45 mm wide. Leaf-
blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate; hardened.
INFLORESCENCE: Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; 1–3 cm long;
dense; with spathaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below
lateral spikelets; leafy between clusters.
FERTILE SPIKELETS: Spikelets comprising 4–12 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex.
Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 10–20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below
each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.
GLUMES: Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 0.7–0.8 length of upper
glume; coriaceous; without keels. Upper glume ovate; 0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous;
without keels.
FLORETS: Fertile lemma ovate; 9–11 mm long; without keel; 11–15 -veined. Lemma margins ciliate;
hairy above. Lemma apex acute. Palea oblong; 1 length of lemma; 6 -veined. Palea keels wingless; ciliate.
Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER: Lodicules 3; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 6; 5 mm long. Stigmas 2–3. Ovary umbonate.
FRUIT: Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION: Africa: Macaronesia, west tropical, west-central tropical, and western Indian ocean.
Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia.
Australasia: Australia. Pacific: southwestern, south-central, northwestern, and north-central. North
America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South
America, and Brazil.
Dendrocalamus asper
HABIT: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1500–2000 cm long; 120 mm
diam.; woody; with aerial roots from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; 40–50 cm long; distally
pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Buds or branches present on lower quarter of culm. Culm-sheaths
deciduous; 40–50 cm long; pale green; pubescent; with dark brown hairs; auriculate; with 7 mm high
auricles; ciliate on shoulders; shoulders with 5 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 7–10 mm high;
fimbriate. Culm-sheath blade linear; narrower than sheath; reflexed; 25 cm long; 35 mm wide; acuminate.
Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Ligule an eciliate membrane, or a ciliolate membrane; 2 mm long; entire,
or erose. Leaf-blade base cuneate; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.3–0.5 cm long.
Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–30 cm long; 10–25 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex
acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE: Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; dense; with
glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets;
leafless between clusters.
Fertile spikelets sessile.
32
FERTILE SPIKELETS: Spikelets comprising 4–5 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension, or with
diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 6–9 mm long; 4 mm wide;
breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between
florets.
GLUMES: Glumes several; 1–2 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet.
FLORETS: Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma ovate; 8 mm long; chartaceous;
without keel. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy above. Lemma apex acuminate.
Palea chartaceous; 4–7 -veined; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea keels ciliate. Palea
surface pubescent; hairy on back and on margins; hairy above. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren.
FLOWER: Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 3.5 mm long; anther tip smooth. Stigmas 1; pubescent. Ovary
umbonate; pubescent on apex.
FRUIT: Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION: Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia.
Dendrocalamus giganteus
HABIT: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 2000–3000 cm long; 200–300
mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; thin-walled; 30–45 cm long. Lateral branches dendroid.
Branch complement many; with 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous;
coriaceous; purple; pubescent; hairy throughout; with dark brown hairs; auriculate; glabrous on shoulders.
Culm-sheath ligule 6–12 mm high; ciliate and dentate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; spreading. Leaves
5–15 per branch. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3 mm long; erose. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like
connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–45 cm long; 30–60 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with
distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.
INFLORESCENCE: Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in stellate clusters; 2–2.5 cm
long; dense; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below
lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters.
Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS: Spikelets comprising 4–8 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets
lanceolate; laterally compressed; 12–15 mm long; 3–4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating
below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.
GLUMES: Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume orbicular; 0.7–0.8 length of
upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 13 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Lower
glume apex acute. Upper glume oblate; 8–13 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous;
without keels; 15 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS: Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma oblate; 8–13 mm long; chartaceous;
without keel; 25 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex
acute. Palea 0.9 length of lemma; chartaceous; 6 -veined; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea
keels ciliate.
FLOWER: Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 7–10 mm long; anther tip apiculate. Stigmas 1. Ovary umbonate;
pubescent all over.
33
FRUIT: Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 7–8 mm long; hairy at apex.
DISTRIBUTION: Africa: western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical:
India, Indo-China, and Malesia.
Dendrocalamus hookeri
HABIT: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1500–2000 cm long; 100–150
mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; thick-walled; 40–45 cm long; dark green; distally pilose.
Lateral branches dendroid. Buds or branches absent from lower quarter of culm. Culm-sheaths 20–30 cm
long; 0.5–0.75 times as long as wide; hispid; with dark brown hairs, or black hairs; ciliate on shoulders.
Culm-sheath ligule 5–7 mm high; dentate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; 8–18 cm long. Leaf-sheaths
striately veined; pilose (below). Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty, or lacking. Ligule an eciliate membrane;
truncate. Leaf-blade base asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades
oblong. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; with 16–32 secondary veins.
Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough abaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex
acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE: Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; 2.5 cm long;
dense; 5–8 cm between clusters; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of
spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters.
Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS: Spikelets comprising 2–3 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets
ovate; laterally compressed; 8–10 mm long; 3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below
each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.
GLUMES: Glumes two; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; coriaceous; without
keels. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex
acuminate.
FLORETS: Fertile lemma ovate; 8 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma lateral veins with cross-
veins. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma apex acute. Palea chartaceous; 2-keeled but the uppermost
without keels. Palea keels ciliate.
FLOWER: Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; anther tip penicillate. Filaments united in a tube. Stigmas 1;
plumose. Ovary umbonate; pubescent all over.
FRUIT: Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION: Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.
Dendrocalamus latiflorus
HABIT: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 150 mm diam.; woody. Culm-
internodes terete; thin-walled; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths 25–30 cm long;
1 times as long as wide; brown; hispid; with appressed hairs; with black hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 5 mm
high; dentate. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or hirsute; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate
membrane; obtuse, or acute. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades
oblong; 18–25 cm long; 30–75 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 12–
34
18 secondary veins; with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous.
Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE: Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; lax; with
glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets;
leafless between clusters.
Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS: Spikelets comprising 6–8 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets
ovate; laterally compressed; 15–20 mm long; 10–12 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating
below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.
GLUMES: Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; chartaceous; without
keels. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 5 mm long;
chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acuminate.
FLORETS: Fertile lemma ovate; 10 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma lateral veins with cross-
veins. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acute. Palea chartaceous; 5 -
veined; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea keels ciliate.
FLOWER: Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; anther tip apiculate and pubescent. Filaments united in a tube.
Stigmas 1–2; plumose. Ovary umbonate; pubescent all over.
FRUIT: Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION: Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: Indo-China.
Melocanna baccifera
HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes elongated; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1000–2000 cm long;
50–90 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 30–60 cm long. Lateral branches dendroid.
Branch complement many; with subequal branches. Culm-sheaths persistent; coriaceous; pubescent; hairy
throughout; with yellow hairs; without auricles. Culm-sheath blade linear; reflexed. Leaves cauline; 5–15
per branch. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief
petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 18–42 cm long; 20–90 mm wide. Leaf-blade
venation with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.
INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes (of raceme-like secondary
branches); in oblong clusters; 1–1.5 cm long; dense; with spathaceous subtending bracts; bracts 1–1.5 mm
long; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters.
Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–6 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension.
Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 15 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below
each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume lanceolate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 5–7 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5–9 -veined. Lemma apex
rostrate; mucronate. Palea without keels. Rhachilla extension 0.1–0.2 length of fertile floret.
35
FLOWER Lodicules 2; veined; ciliate. Anthers 5–7. Stigmas 2–4. Ovary with a steeple-like appendage;
glabrous.
FRUIT Caryopsis with fleshy pericarp; ovoid; isodiametric; 75–125 mm long. Endosperm farinose
(small).
CLEISTOGENES AND VIVIPARY Vivipary occurs.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.
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VIII. Summary of Feedback from Stakeholders
Discussions with stakeholders (as noted in section III above) shed light on some concerns and ideas that
can serve as building blocks for a provisional project strategy. In this section, I summarize the main
points below:
The role of the local press and newspapers in publishing positive stories about the UNIDO project
and particularly about the workshop held at Galle Face Hotel on 9 March 2016 sparked a lot of
interest among private sectors. The publicity created interest and made meetings possible.
Landowners and private sector companies are interested in knowing more about the potential benefits
of bamboo, and many companies interviewed are willing to establish pilot plantation of large bamboo
species for crop diversification.
Crop diversification is a major concern in Estate Lands because the cost of tea production is
increasing and revenues are declining. This is also true for the two other main crops in the country,
namely rubber and coconut. Another reason why stakeholders are considering crop diversification is
the increasing scarcity of plantation labor due to migration of workers to urban areas where there are
more opportunities for higher wage rates.
Private sector companies are very interested to know more about bamboo. They especially want to
know more about the economics of bamboo and what they need to do to get involved in bamboo
planting and industry. They lack information about bamboo and are unaware of the UNIDO/GEF
project, but also of previous initiatives in the country, notably the MASL Riverine Bamboo Project.
Most private sector companies that the ICs (V. Brias and N. Schulz) met requested more information
about the financial costs and returns of a bamboo plantation. It is important for companies to do a cost
benefit analysis and compare bamboo with other crops before they invest in bamboo. They were glad
to hear that a pre-feasibility study was prepared by the IC and requested a copy. (As discussed with
the project manager, the Pre-FS for a 100 ha plantation would be repackaged and the dissemination of
the report would be channeled though the Association of Bamboo Growers and Industry.)
On the whole, there is a lack of dissemination of project information. Many of the studies prepared by
other international and national consultants (on environment and land availability, biomass, market,
etc.,) could also be edited and repackaged for dissemination – for example through a project website
or through a website of the Association of Bamboo Growers and Industries.
The meeting with Dilmah Conservation and the Dilmah subsidiary Timber Concepts in Colombo was
an eye opener because it clearly showed the industrial potential of bamboo in Sri Lanka. As
mentioned in the meeting notes above, Dilmah markets its tea products internationally in bamboo
boxes such as those shown below:
As mentioned, the raw material used for manufacturing the tea boxes is imported from China. The
reason for importing the material is because it must come from certified forests so that it conforms to
European standards and becomes eligible for export.
37
Increased awareness about environmental issues and legislation in favor of environment friendly
products makes it advisable for bamboo plantations in Sri Lanka to obtain Forest Stewardship
Council certification through organization authorized by Accreditation Services International (ASI)
(www.accreditation-services.com). In principle, any organization or individual can apply for
certification, but in practice only large estates and companies are able to complete the requirements
for certification. Most of the large estates in Sri Lanka obtain one form of international certification or
another, and will be able to obtain forest certification if they intend to plant bamboo for export
products. Lanka Organics for example have organic certification carried out by the certifying bodies
NASAA (Australia - http://www.nasaa.com.au ) and Control Union (Netherlands -
http://www.controlunion.com/en ). Such companies have the organizational capacity to fulfill the
requirements for FSC certification if they are willing.
Not all companies/farmers have the resources or capacity to obtain international certification for
plantations. However, meetings with private sector stakeholders showed that there is still a local
demand for bamboo. The potential of using bamboo poles for construction applications for Sri
Lanka’s tourism industry mainly requires know-how and facilities for preserving bamboo culms. The
know-how is widely available and relatively simple.
Using bamboo for making charcoal for bio-char (soil amendment) applications can be economically
interesting for plantation estates. Dilmah has confirmed that biochar applications result in quality
improvement of the tea crop and also yield increases. On top of that, the cost of biochar results in an
overall cost reduction in fertilizer applications. Another potential economic benefit that yet needs to
be studied is to use biochar as a carbon sink to generate financial benefits within the UN REDD+
(Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation - http://www.un-redd.org )
programme.
The GoSL is committed to implementing a climate action plan in accordance with the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Government body in charge of this is
the Ministry of Mahaweli Development & Environment, which submitted the Intended Nationally
Determined Contribution (INDC) in October 2015, well in advance of the UN climate conference that
was held in Paris in December 2015. The country aims to move in a low carbon development
pathway while achieving its development objectives. It intends to reduce the GHG emissions against
Business-As-Usual scenario unconditionally by 7% (Energy sector 4%, and 3% from other sectors)
and conditionally 23% (Energy sector 16% and 7% from other sectors) by 2030. The country plans to
take strong actions in the forestry sector to contribute to its climate action plan. Sri Lanka has a land
area of 62710 km2. The current forest cover in Sri Lanka is 29.6% (or 18600 km
2); the target for
2030 is to increase forest cover to 32% (20067 km2). This means an increase of 1467 km
2 or
146,700 ha of over the next 14 years. The GoSL aims to achieve this through the management of
mangrove and wetland ecosystems, management and conservation of natural forests, restoration of
degraded forests in underutilized lands and urban forestry. Measures to prevent deforestation and
forest degradation will also be taken. Discussions with Mr. Buddika Hemashantha, CEO, of the Sri
Lanka Climate Fund (which falls under the Ministry of Mahaweli Development & Environment) gave
positive indications of tapping bamboo to boost the forestry targets since, after all, the Mahaweli
Authority has already done in the past through its Riverine Bamboo Project. What is needed is to
strongly promote bamboo for rehabilitating degraded lands, especially in the intermediate and dry
zones, where more land is available. To achieve this, concerted efforts are needed to make drought
resistant bamboo species available in Sri Lanka and to promote their cultivation and utilization.
There is a lot of know-how in Sri Lanka concerning plantations, nurseries, and plant propagation and
tissue culture. This know-how extends to the field of bamboo. Based on their achievements, Sri
Lankan scientists are much more advanced in their knowledge of bamboo propagation than many of
their Asian counterparts, and they are very capable of boosting the plantation sector of bamboo given
38
commercial demand. The current situation however, is that most of the bamboo know-how is
concentrated in GOSL and Educational institutions, which are slow in making use of the know-how
for economic enhancement. For example, the MASL tissue culture lab at Kothmale has a standing
stock of 20 thousand plants of D. hookeri that are ready for planting. Given the communication with
MASL (through Shantha Ramanayake) D. hookeri is propagated because it is easy to propagate. The
IC provided feedback in 2010 that D. asper should be propagated because it is excellent for industrial
use. Also species suitable for the dry and intermediate zones of the country (like Bambusa bambos,
Dendrocalamus strictus, and Oxytenanthera abbyssinica) could be propagated and promoted for
regreening marginal lands. But this has not been done.
The private sector, notably Mr. Susantha Julian Payoe of Euroasia Agro (Pvt) Ltd and Dr. Neville
Fernando, appear to be keen to get involved in the tissue culture of bamboo. They are both looking
for technical support from Shantha Ramanayake. Priyantha Chandrasena is another expert (in the TC
of D. asper) who can be of value to private sector tissue culture labs. From the perspective of
boosting the private enterprise in bamboo, it is essential to “build bridges” between scientists and the
private sector. It is also essential to inform potential plantation developers of the actual and potential
suppliers of planting materials. This was done by the IC during his mission, but it has to be a
continuous and persistent process of networking that has to be integrated in the bamboo strategy of
Sri Lanka.
39
IX. National Bamboo Strategy: Ideas Towards a Provisional Framework
Developing a national bamboo strategy for Sri Lanka is a project that has to be done in consultation with
numerous stakeholders, both in the private sector and the GoSL.
In this section we aim to present some ideas towards a provisional strategy framework based on
discussions with some stakeholders, and also taking into account the work of other UNIDO consultants.
As discussed with the project manager, Mr. Antonios Levissianos, the IC is only able to deliver a
schematic outline of the strategy given the time constraints of his mission. As Mr. Levissianos suggested,
this job can be fully completed in a future mission jointly with a national consultant.
The approach taken in this task is to make (1) PEST (political, economic, social, technology) and (2)
SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats) analyses.
On the basis of these analyses, and taking into account the feedback provided by various stakeholders
during the ICs mission, a provisional strategy framework was prepared. The framework is divided into 4
components namely:
Component 1 : Coordination, and Networking
Component 2 : Resource Management, Environmental Monitoring and Enhancement
Component 3 : Technical Training, Education and Employment
Component 4 : Industry & Commerce
Provisional strategic priorities and milestones are proposed for each component as discussed in the
following pages.
40
PEST ANALYSIS
POLITICAL FACTORS
The outlook of the Ministry on Industry and Commerce towards bamboo is very positive.
Feedback provided by stakeholders (including the Sri Lanka Climate Fund, Ministry of Mahaweli
Development & Environment) points that the current President, Maithripala Sirisena, who was
formerly the Minister of Mahaweli Development and Minister of Agriculture is “pro-bamboo.”
The GoSL has an ambitious program – in line with UNFCCC – of increasing forest cover to 32% by
2030. This implies an increase of 146,700 ha of over the next 14 years. If bamboo could contribute
5% of this target that would mean planting over 7.3 thousand hectares.
ECONOMIC FACTORS
Private sector companies involved in agribusinesses are struggling with the low prices of tea, rubber,
and coconuts. There is a general trend towards crop diversification and companies are expressing a
lot of interest in bamboo.
Dilmah’s subsidiary, Timber Concepts, is producing bamboo products (export boxes for tea) but has
to import the raw material from China at a high cost. For economic reasons, they are interested in
cultivating bamboo in local certified forests.
Sri Lanka is a net importer of timber and wood products; the availability of local bamboo as a timber
substitute promises to be economically beneficial by reducing reliance of imports, developing the
local industrial wood products sector, and creating employment.
The presence of a revolving fund at Hatton National Bank dedicated to offering micro-finance for
bamboo plantations and industries is a positive move for encouraging bamboo development. SOCIAL FACTORS
Sri Lanka’s population is currently over 20 Million and increasing at 0.8% in 2014. Population
growth has been on a downward trend since 1960 (3% growth) to the present. The last decade has
seen a strong emergence of a middle class with increasing household income and expenditure.
Farm labor has also gradually been migrating from rural to urban areas seeking higher paying jobs.
This has resulted in shortages of skilled labor for tea and rubber estates.
Companies are catering to the latest trends and demands of the upper classes and budding middle
class by offering imported products including bamboo flooring (see www.supremefloors.lk) and
composite panels and flooring (see www.mflflooring.com).
TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS
TC of bamboo is well developed; high level of expertise in plant propagation available locally.
Local companies (e.g. Timber Concepts) show high technical level in manufacturing of bamboo
laminates.
Training center with industrial processing equipment to be established by UNIDO will provide
training of trainers and increase technical level for industrial bamboo processing.
Local innovations in agro-technology; application of bio-char has been tested in tea estates with
positive results. Waste from industrial processing of bamboo can be used for biochar.
41
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
On-going UNIDO/GEF Project as a springboard for
strategy development
Positive Project History - (CFC/INBAR Edible
Bamboo Shoots & MASL Riverine Bamboo Project
Existence of a formal body (Association of Bamboo
Growers and Industries)
Private-Sector interest in bamboo for crop
diversification and availability of land for planting
Manufacture of bamboo products for Export (by
Timber Concepts/Dilmah Group)
Niche Market for edible bamboo shoots (Maturata
Plantations PLC)
High level of local expertise in bamboo tissue
culture, and nurseries and agriculture in general
Immediate availability of planting material (D.
latiflorus, D. hookerii, M. baccifera)
Potential availability of other species through TC
UNIDO Industrial Bamboo Training Center in the
pipeline
Revolving Fund Agreement with Hatton National
Bank to provide micro-finance for bamboo activities
(plantations & industries)
Positive press coverage of the UNIDO project in the
local press (has sparked interest of the private sector
on bamboo)
Interest in private sector investment (by Dr. Neville
Fernando/SAITM and Mr. Susantha Julian
Payoe/Eurasia Agro) in TC
Absence of coordinating / networking body apart
from the UNIDO Focal Point (for activities the
extend beyond the UNIDO/GEF project)
No independent organization responsible for
addressing shared interests of bamboo stakeholders
Association of Bamboo Growers is not (yet) active
and/or lacks personnel, funds, and resources to
become active.
No bamboo information centre; No dedicated
website about bamboo in Sri Lanka
No coordinated bamboo networking activities
Lack of nationwide/regional promotion of bamboo
cultivation and industries apart from the
UNIDO/GEF project.
Lack of strong linkages between international and
Sri Lankan bamboo experts and scientists.
Lack of accurate and updated information about the
country’s bamboo resources.
Bamboo is not integrated into government forestry
policies and environmental targets (e.g. increase to
32% forest cover by 2030).
Lack of bamboo plantations; no certified bamboo
forests to supply raw material to local industrial
producers.
Economic potential of bamboo plnated for
environmental purposes (Mahaweli banks) is
untapped.
The private sector lacks information about bamboo
for economic decision making
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
Creating greater awareness and advancing
development of bamboo for the private sector/
plantation estate sector.
Use of bamboo for crop diversification in
agricultural estates
Bamboo plantations can contribute to the GoSL’s
target of increasing forest cover to 32% by 2030
Certified bamboo plantations can provide a
competitive advantage to industries that are
importing bamboo raw material from China.
Bamboo is an energy plant; bamboo charcoal can
also serve as biochar for soil improvement and
carbon sequestration
Bamboo that is harvested is underutilized and
undervalued; local bamboo is not preserved and
sold at a low price.
Training and education can lead to value creation,
product improvements, and job creation.
Environmental management can improve
productivity and increase value of bamboo
resources.
Fund raising (through membership fees, donations,
event charges) to finance strategy implementation.
Bamboo related activities beyond the current
UNIDO/GEF project may cease
Increased costs for wood industries due to lack of
local bamboo
Environmental damage, fires, due to non-harvesting
of bamboo
Lack of networking, information & coordination
may lead to failure in following market trends, like
new bamboo products and technology.
Lack of training and education may result in failure
of businesses to capture economic benefits of
bamboo
Absence of a national bamboo organization and
strategy can mean lost funding opportunities,
including donations from private sources and
development organizations.
Failure of bamboo to play a positive role in
environmental and economic regulations and
programs.
42
Provisional Strategy Framework
COMPONENT STRATEGIC PRIORITIES MILESTONES
C-1
Coordination, and
Networking
Organizational Management and
Control
Inventorization of stakeholders in
the bamboo sector
Planning and coordinating of
activities in the bamboo sector;
Networking and building alliances
and partnerships with private
enterprises and GoSL agencies to
cooperate for the promotion of
bamboo know-how, cultivation,
processing, and marketing.
Alignment of bamboo priorities and
activities with other relevant
policies, programs, and targets (e.g.
climate change, organic farming,
land cover change) at the national
and international levels.
Strengthening the role of the private
sector and increasing the private
sector’s involvement in bamboo
activities
Dissemination of information to
stakeholders at all levels of the
sector.
Promoting the cultivation and
industrial utilization of bamboo as
timber, bioenergy, and as a food
crop.
Sourcing funds from donors to
support development and training
activities.
Establishment of an organizational
structure/body with an office for the
implementation of the bamboo strategy.
Development of a contact database – or
Yellow Pages – of bamboo stakeholders,
including detailed contact list of scientists,
entrepreneurs, farmers, practitioners and
experts in the private sector and GoSL, as
well as international experts.
Publication, Maintenance, and Regular
updating of a Website
Linkages with other bamboo networks
worldwide (e.g. INBAR www.inbar.int /
NMBA – CBTC www.bambootech.org /
ABS www.bamboo.org / BSA
www.bamboo.org.au etc.) are established.
A strong network is established and
synergies are created domestically and
internationally.
Newsletters are published and distributed
Public relation events, press releases, and
positive media exposure about bamboo in the
local and foreign press
Private sector companies are increasingly
getting involved in bamboo related
businesses.
Regular monitoring, evaluation, reporting of
activities.
C-2
Resource
Management,
Environmental
Monitoring and
Enhancement
Assessment and monitoring of
bamboo resources.
Diversification of bamboo species
available for plantations for all
climatic zones of Sri Lanka
Promoting management and
harvesting schemes of bamboo
resources for environmental
protection and enhancement,
especially along catchment areas and
river banks
Improving productivity of bamboo
plantations and forest areas
Monitoring GHG emissions of the
bamboo value chain (from
cultivation to industry and trade)
Developing Carbon sequestration
methodologies for bamboo in Sri
Lanka
Promoting bamboo to enhance land
cover change, increasing forest cover
to 32% by 2030.
A program for bamboo resource mapping is
developed and implemented.
Nurseries and germplasm collections around
the country are established and maintained,
and planting material is available to farmers
and plantation developers.
A practical guide on the best practices for
bamboo cultivation and plantations is
published and disseminated.
The area under bamboo plantations and farm
developments is increased.
Livelihood and income is generated through
bamboo plantation developments.
The supply chain of high quality raw
materials for industrial utilization is secured.
43
COMPONENT STRATEGIC PRIORITIES MILESTONES
C-3
Technical Training,
Education and
Employment
Improving technical skills
Developing a training and education
program for bamboo that makes best
use of the training center established
by UNIDO
Coordinating with other GoSL
agencies (e.g. MASL and
Department of Agriculture) to
develop training programs for
bamboo cultivation and propagation
(including tissue culture).
Enhancing the efficiency and
competitiveness of bamboo product
manufacturers
Augmenting the industrial sector’s
capacity for generating value-
addition
Intensifying training activities on the
various aspects of bamboo,
especially applications with
commercial potential
Raising the level of practical
knowledge and expertise about
bamboo in the country through
linkages with bamboo experts in
other countries
Creating a bamboo knowledge base
that will have an enduring
socioeconomic impact in the
country.
Training of Trainers programs are conducted
Training programs at the UNIDO industrial
processing training center are ongoing.
Training programs on bamboo propagation
(e.g. At Walpita Farm, MASL Lab at
Kothmale, and other locations) are
conducted.
Technical exchanges between foreign and
local experts
Dissemination of technical information
through training programs as well as through
the internet (website)
Sri Lankan bamboo experts, entrepreneurs,
farmers etc attend international workshops
and conferences.
Sri Lanka is hosting international bamboo
workshops.
Trainees are being employed in bamboo
projects (plantations and industries).
Technical information about bamboo and
training manuals are published on the
internet
C-4
Industry & Commerce
Enhancing industrial development
and growth of the bamboo sector
through novel products and product
designs.
Promoting compliance with
international trade and
environmental standards,
Increasing domestic and foreign
trade of bamboo products.
Increasing foreign investment in the
bamboo sector.
Promoting (and facilitating
information towards) compliance
with international quality and
environmental standards.
The bamboo value-chain is strengthened.
Industrial production is demand driven and
competitive at all levels.
Stakeholders have access to current market
info.
Financing facilities and incentives are
available to bamboo growers and
manufacturers.
Industrial production is guided by
international quality standards.
New product designs are put into production
Local and/or foreign investors establish new
factories.
Facilities for export promotion are in place.
44
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