The bamboo industry holds great export potential.
MALAYSIA is well known for being a major exporter of timber and timber-related products, but not many may know about bamboo-based products, which have a strong growth potential for export.
There are 70 bamboo species in Malaysia, with 20 of the world’s best species found in the country’s native forests, including Beting, Semantan and Tumpat among others.
Bamboo is a commodity used by one third of the world’s population as an important material for house-building. It was also traditionally used for the making of rafts that function as an important medium of transportation and used by communities in agriculture, construction, arts and crafts and furniture among others.
It can be a sustainable source of raw material as it matures quickly within three to four years and can live up to 100 years.
The industry has come a long way since 2015 when total export stood at RM791,000, compared to RM9.16mil in 2019.
This is thanks to the Bamboo Industry Development Action Plan 2011-2020 with its five strategic thrusts, namely the establishment of bamboo plantations, sustainable management of existing natural resources, the development of human capital and value-added products, research and development, as well as marketing, trade and promotional activities.
In the past, there were no commercial bamboo plantations and bamboo naturally grew wild and free in forests or near the kampung, which made it hard to harvest.
However, starting 2014, the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry – under MTIB’s fully-owned subsidiary Forest Plantation Development Sdn Bhd – introduced an incentive through the Forest Plantation Development Programme for bamboo growers in the form of soft loans with a 15-year tenure at a 3% interest rate, worth RM10,000 per hectare.
Bamboo-laminated timber can be used to make furniture.
In order to strengthen the source of raw material, MTIB also set up a nursery and tissue culture lab in Ipoh, Perak to produce quality seedlings with a capacity of up to 300,000 seedlings a year. The programme also saw the participation of local communities to set up community forests as an alternative crop, apart from opening up research cooperation with outside parties to ensure quality supply of bamboo seedlings for industry use.
MTIB also formed a 15ha Model Bamboo Plantation in Terengganu involving various species, including Semantan, Betong, Beting, Beti and Hitam, which is supported by the Terengganu state government as a reference centre and eco-tourism location to increase public awareness on the use of bamboo as an alternative raw material.
It has also undertaken several studies related to bamboo, including methods to extract bamboo fibres for 13 commercial species and the strength and durability of bamboo-laminated products among others.
MTIB also conducted yearly activities to provide technical advice and human resource development in bamboo farming for interested entrepreneurs, alongside preparing capacity building programmes for industry players through the sharing of latest foreign technology and knowledge and hands-on training.
When it comes to marketing and promotion relating to bamboo products, one of the ways MTIB does this is through its Tanggam Design Centre initiative to provide design services and become a design hub for designers, students, the industries related or connected to design and other end-users who want to utilise the design facilities.
According to MTIB industry development division senior assistant director Nik Zuraihah Nik Mohammad, the aim is to revitalise the timber-related products sector – such as bamboo – by value-adding to Malaysia’s raw materials.
Since it started its efforts in 2014, it has brought many young local designers to the international stage to help them commercialise their furniture designs and create a robust portfolio with international exposure.
It has since expanded its activities to business matching programmes, where it matches designers with manufacturers or retailers to create synergy.
“Normally, people feel it (timber) is a sunset industry, but now our young designers know about our local species.
“We’re not a business entity, but we’re focused on impact for the long term and in helping the industry shift into value-added products with higher price points for export, by moving from the typical furniture industry – usually based on original equipment manufacturing – to original design manufacturing and original brand manufacturing, ” she explained.
The demand for Malaysian bamboo has steadily increased over the years and with execution of the right strategy, the industry’s potential can be developed.
In the past, the industry was being developed in line with the 2011-2020 action plan, but MTIB has already drafted the Bamboo Industry Development Action Plan 2021-2030 to build on the foundation of its previous achievements.
Under the new action plan, there are five strategic thrusts, including augmenting policy and widening raw material sources; developing human capital, expertise and capacity; reinforcing innovation, technology as well as research, development and commercialisation; strengthening the supply chain and quality assurance and lastly, fortifying the marketing strategy and smart sharing for the bamboo industry.
