Timber firms asked to turn to bamboo as future industry resource

A good number of timber companies in Ghana have collapsed over the past two decades, mostly due to challenges in accessing timber for processing.

The bane of the wood industry is the dwindling timber resources in the country’s forests.

Whilst interest groups are looking at developing plantations to make up for the shortfall, timber firms are being asked to retool by turning attention to bamboo as a future resource alternative.

The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) has committed to provide capacity building and technology transfer for the Ghanaian bamboo industry.

“The moment there is utilization for bamboo, people will always be encouraged to go into bamboo plantation; if there is a factory that is going to buy bamboo to convert it to lumber, then the one who is going to plant it have a ready market”, he noted.

Tropical bamboos such as the species found in Ghana can be harvested after just three years, rather than the two to six decades needed to generate a timber forest.

There are calls for building contractors to patronize local building materials, including bamboos, to reduce the cost of building construction, whilst protecting the already stressed forests.

“The housing sector is having a negative effect on our forests because everybody is trying to put up a house and we are using wood materials. But we have proven that bamboo can equally be used for that”, observed Mr. Kwaku.

With Ghana’s currently bamboo stock estimated at 250-300 hectares, sustainable access to bamboo lumber for industrial purposes could be a challenge.

The INBAR is taking delivery of exotic bamboo species for local plantation which could be attractive for industrial use.

Government, has over the years, expressed interest in bamboo plantation, with the establishment of the Bamboo and Rattan Development Programme (BARADEP) under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.  

But significant impact has not been achieved on the grounds.

Mr. Kwaku is advocating the BARADEP unit be placed under the Forestry Commission to give the programme a stronger mandate and resources in bamboo plantation development.

The INBAR is also looking forward to working with the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and the Rural Enterprise Programme (REP) to increase interest in bamboo plantation in Northern Ghana and rural communities.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh