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The dealers of bamboo are on the edge as they are gradually losing grip in local market saturated with bamboo substitutes. Faced with several challenges including stiff competition from plastic and metal items, bamboo trading has nosedived in recent years while pandemic has added salt to the wound.
Once an essential construction component for every household, the echo-friendly product has now yielded to synthetic materials.
The market demand has come down by 50 per cent over the last five-six years, according to traders.
“One kind of metal pipe widely used for construction support to concrete blocks, and plastic home accessories instead of bamboo-made ones have recently erased the importance of bamboo,” they said.
There are over 30 species of bamboo tree in the country. Of them, 9-10 types are dear to customers that are basically used as constructional aid like setting up dams in the banks of canals,
ponds and rivers as well as for home necessities.
A variety of decorative items like pachiya, basket, hand fan and winnowing fan and small pandals – all made by bamboo – have now lost their charm to plastic and fiber products.
Bamboos are mostly brought to the capital from the northern districts of Tangail, Mymensingh, Sherpur, Rangpur, Panchagarh, Nilphamari and Kurigram, and also from Barisal and Chattogram Hill Tracts.
Talking to The Business Post, Lamia Enterprise proprietor Md Kazi Jahir, a bamboo trader at Meradia bazar in the capital, said their business came down to 50 per cent compared to what was evident in five-six years ago.
“I sell 5-6 types of bamboo. There are around 30 types of them having local names like Borak/Bolla bash, Tolla bash, Ora bash, katajali, Makal bash, Rengul, Tengri, Pecha bash, Muli, Konchi, Dulu, and Paharia tang bash,” explained Mr Jahir.
“I have been involved in the business for the last 30 years in Meradia. I used to make a sale worth Tk 1 lakh daily, but now it is around Tk 50,000 due to rod and plastic items.”
The bamboos are sold in different places like Meradia Bazar, Rampura, 300-feet road, Uttara Rail Gate, Diabari, Mirpur, Savar, Kamrangirchar, Beribad, Jatrabari, Sani Akhra, etc. Nearly 300 bamboo traders are there.
A piece of Borak bamboo is sold at between Tk 200 and Tk 400, Rengun at Tk 50 and Tk 250, Oral at Tk 200 and Tk 300, Tengri at Tk 250 and Tk 300, Muli and Dulu at Tk 50 and Tk 500.
Makhal and Dulu varieties are used to make different types of home items including baskets.
Traders purchase bamboo from Panchagarh, Nilphamari and Rangpur while their freight cost has doubled from Tk 20,000 to Tk 40,000 compared to what was five years ago.
Asked about the local bamboo market, the Lamia Enterprise proprietor Jahir said there is an annual market ranging between Tk 300 crore and Tk 400 crore and around 4-5 lakh people are involved in this sector.
“Metal and plastic products hit us hard,” he vented his frustration on this correspondent.
Another bamboo trader Sumon Mia in Rampura area said a piece of bamboo which was earlier priced at Tk 60 to Tk 70 is now being sold at Tk 200 to Tk 250 due to rise in transport cost, space rent and other charges.
“Apart from regular expenses, we have to expend some extra. I pay Tk 2,000 as space rent per month, Tk 2,000 to Tk 3,000 as extortion to some rogue policemen, and more so to traffic police on roads when carrying bamboos from northern districts to Dhaka,” he claimed.
“I also bring them from Tangail and Sherpur, the carrying cost of a truck of which goes around Tk 3500 to Tk 5000 now which was Tk 2500 to Tk 3500 two years ago.” The businessman stated that the demand for bamboo is somewhat increasing among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
that are producing a bevy of crafts
like basket, lamps, tableware and
storage.
Talking to The Business Post, Research Officer Md Mahbub Alam of Regional Bamboo Research and Training Centre, Nilphamari, said they have taken various initiatives to bring about a revolution to bamboo farming in the country.
Once bamboo-made products were available in lower- and middle-class houses, but now its cultivation has gone down, he pointed out.
“We train farmers to use our advanced method “conch pen’ to cultivate bamboo. We hope we will be able to cause a revolution to bamboo
farming soon,” the researcher held his opinion.
“Training has been provided to around 1700 people since 2019 and 20 species of bamboo planted. In addition, efforts are underway to spread hybrid bamboo species across the country.”
Bamboo is a fast-growing tree that gets matured within three years, and if taken proper care of, it sustains 10-12 years easily.
Research shows that a farmer can earn Tk 4 to Tk 5 lakh within five years of bamboo cultivation in one acre of land, and a bamboo garden can sustain 45-100 years.
The research officer claimed that if any farmer receives training from them, they will be able to boost production by three to fourfold.
There are 33 species of bamboo in the country and there are bamboo gardens in several districts including Rangpur, Dinajpur and Nilphamary.
However, World Bamboo Day is celebrated annually on September 18 for creating awareness of bamboo plantation to protect natural resources and environment, to ensure sustainable utilisation and to promote its traditional uses locally for community economic development.
