Malawi tipped on $63bn global bamboo industry

A baseline research for bamboo value-chain has established huge opportunity that can significantly contribute to Malawi’s industrial base with import substitution and export potential.

The global bamboo industry, as of 2022, is estimated at $63 billion with several value-chains that include furniture, curios, textile, food, construction, among others, but information available does not provide estimated value on the local industry.

Christian Aid and its partners plan to develop the local bamboo industry by initiating a baseline research to establish the status quo and findings were shared to stakeholders on Wednesday in Salima.

Christian Aid head of programmes Dunia Mphande says with the limited room for growth of the tobacco industry, the mainstay of the country’s exports, bamboo can be one of the alternative industries that can contribute significantly, given trade opportunities on the global scale.

“With our supporters in the UK, we sat down to look at what can be done in the bamboo space. Currently, people don’t take bamboo seriously but it can generate wealth by making products that can be used domestically, and for exports,” said Mphande.

She says the first phase of the bamboo value-chain development project that is in the offing, is to do market assessment to see who is doing what in the industry before identifying where to capitalise on.

She said the idea is to build local capacity that can see increased production of unique products such as bikes, furniture, curios and tooth picks to supply the local market for import substitution and penetrate the export market.

A consultant, Vincent Gaitano, who did the baseline research says what was established was that there is no awareness on most people on the potential of bamboo, so it is not taken seriously.

“There is need to create awareness so that smallholder farmers can know the potential and then promote bamboo cultivation to be taken as a business. Then, there should be support to artisans to upgrade their production systems and use modern equipment for quality products, because if they do that they can be selling more products, therefore, buying more raw materials. But all that need government policy to support these systems and improve the environment for more private sector investment,” suggested Gaitano.

One of the major players in the industry, Rob Kilner of Mangunda Estates, says the bamboo industry can also be used to fight environmental degradation as it can replace the use of charcoal and curios from indigenous trees.

“It is an alternative fuel as a source of energy, instead of cutting down trees, so that is one of our principle aims in producing bamboo seed that we do,” he says.

His company produces seedlings for supply to non-governmental organisations that distribute to farmers and the few private sector players.