Bamboo crops have real growth potential, says Uganda

KAMPALA, Uganda: Uganda is seeing growing interest in bamboo, a perennial plant cultivated in many parts of the world.

In rural communities, bamboo, a hardy plant that can grow almost anywhere, can be burned for fuel, reducing reliance on dwindling forest reserves of eucalyptus and other natural resources.

Local businesses can also process it into products ranging from furniture to toothpicks.

Some of the bamboo species grown in Uganda are imported from Asia, but many grow wild in the East African country.

As part of its broader reforestation efforts, the Ugandan government has set a 10-year policy calling for planting 300,000 hectares (some 1,100 square miles) of bamboo, most on private land, by 2029.

However, the Uganda Bamboo Association, the largest local group with 340 members, has only planted 500 hectares, so authorities must encourage more rural farmers to plant bamboo.

Supporters are urging local farmers to consider bamboo as a cash crop like coffee or tea, and banks are offering bamboo "plantation capital" to clients that promise ownership of substantial bamboo plantations.

Taga Nuwagaba, a bamboo farmer who also owns a bamboo furniture factory near the Ugandan capital, Kampala, said, "Each person should actually plant bamboo, and a lot of it. You cut one, five will grow."

Agronomist Jacob Ogola, a consultant at Kitara Farm, said bamboo plants are usually ready for harvesting in three to five years, and a well-maintained plantation can be useful for at least 50 years.

He added that bamboo is easy to manage and typically does not need spraying for pests.

Bamboo seedlings are also currently more widely available via private nursery beds.

Steve Tusiime, a bamboo nursery owner in Mbarara, said, "Bamboo can be a future tree for Uganda or for even Africa. For example, you have heard people talking about charcoal and firewood and this and that. Bamboo is a better solution. You can produce the briquette and you can use it directly as firewood."

"Bamboo is going to be a game changer in Africa. You can eat bamboo, you can use it to build, you can create an industry for bamboo, you can feed it to your animals, and it can take care of your land," he added.