From Jamaica Observer

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Dr Omer Thomas, senior advisor to the minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, says efforts are ongoing to ensure that Jamaica reaps maximum returns from the bamboo industry.           

“We are at point now where we can say that we are observing tangible results from the effort. What the bamboo can do for Jamaica, we have not heard the half, especially with the stridency in eliminating plastic and styrofoam. Bamboo offers that potential to solving the problem,” Dr Thomas said.

He was speaking at a seminar on bamboo leaves held on January 16 at the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), in St Andrew.

Dr Thomas said the Government has enacted policies for the use of bamboo in both industrial development and agricultural production.

“The Government has rearranged the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) so that there would be a unit led by a specialist officer for industrial crops, so that bamboo will have the technical leadership. Those are significant steps to support the development of any fledging industry,” he said.

In recent years, innovations in bamboo processing have seen bamboo becoming a legally approved building material across the Andean countries of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

In addition, industrial development in Asia has resulted in domestic bamboo sectors in countries such as India and China growing in value to US$4 billion and US$32 billion, respectively.

For more on this story go to: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Efforts_ongoing_to_ensure_Jamaica_benefits_from_bamboo?profile=1228