Nazret.com, USA, 18 August 2008

 A bamboo processing plant, set up in Benishangul Gumuz Regional State of Ethiopia, is to start production in the coming two months. The plant would start with chopsticks, doors and flooring tiles. It is the first to produce such items from the ample bamboo resource in the region. Land and Sea Development- Ethiopia (LSDE) the owner of the plant, is also looking for other partners for another venture.

            Michael Gebru founder and director of LSDE told Capital that the company would be harvesting and re-planting bamboo, hybrid eucalyptus and other non-wood crops that could be used in the pulp and paper manufacturing process. LSDE Plc is involved in the advanced agricultural sector including bio-fuel plants.

            Michael said it was a long journey to take the company at this level and during the setting up of the company. He added that he has faced a lot of difficulties that he almost failed but as he does not want to give a bad example to the diaspora like himself he sacrificed a lot and reversed it to positive under new management.

            Evan Peters General Manager of LSDE told Capital that after the completion of the factory the company would employ about 600 people. In addition to these up to 1000 workers will be working at the bamboo forest harvesting and planting on the nursery site.

            According to agro-forest experts the bamboo wealth of Ethiopia is an untapped market. It is estimated that there are between 800,000 and a million hectares of land that are used to plant bamboo all across the country. LSDE also last week plated 10,000 seedlings of high quality bamboo in Assosa the seat of the Benishangul Gumuz Regional State.

            Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on Earth. The bamboo can grow three or more inches a day though there are exceptions. Apart from its use as wood the shoots of bamboo are edible. They are used in numerous Asian dishes and broths, and are available in supermarkets in various sliced forms, both fresh and canned version.

            Bamboo leaves are also used as wrappers for zongzi, a steamed dumpling typical of southern China, which usually contains glutinous rice and other ingredients.

            The empty hollow in the stalks of larger bamboo is often used to cook food in many Asian cultures. Soups are boiled and rice is cooked in the hollows of fresh stalks of bamboo directly over a flame. Similarly, steamed tea is sometimes rammed into bamboo hollows to produce compressed forms of Pu-erh tea. Cooking food in bamboo is said to give the food a subtle but distinctive taste.

            In addition, bamboo is frequently used for cooking utensils within many cultures. In modern times, some see bamboo tools as an eco-friendly alternative to other manufactured utensils.

            Bamboo is also used in Chinese medicine for treating infections.

            When treated, bamboo forms a very hard wood which is both lightweight and exceptionally durable. In tropical climates it is used in elements of house construction, construction scaffolding and as a substitute for steel reinforcing rods in concrete construction, ... Modern companies are also attempting to popularize bamboo flooring made of bamboo pieces steamed, flattened, glued together, finished, and cut.

            Besides its use as a construction material, it is also used for fencemaking, bridges, toilets, walking sticks, canoes, tableware, decorative artwork carving, furniture, food steamers, toys, bicycles, hats, and martial arts weaponry, including fire arrows, flame throwers and rockets.

            The fiber of bamboo has been used to make paper in China since early times. A high quality hand-made paper is still produced in small quantities. Coarse bamboo paper is still used to make spirit money in many Chinese communities.

            Bamboo has also been used in the construction of fishing rods since the mid 1800s. However, following the invention of fiberglass and graphite, bamboo use in fishing rods has declined dramatically. Bamboo is also used to make enclosures in fish farming, where cages can be made from a wooden frame and bamboo lattices

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